Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) Shares Gap Up to $46.61

Shares of Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $46.61, but opened at $48.80. Sanofi shares last traded at $49.26, with a volume of 1,794,054 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on SNY shares. StockNews.com downgraded Sanofi from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Sanofi in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $55.00 price target on the stock. Finally, TheStreet cut Sanofi from a “b” rating to a “c” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sanofi presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $55.00.

Sanofi Stock Up 5.9 %

The company has a market cap of $124.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company has a fifty day moving average of $47.59 and a 200 day moving average of $48.44.

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.94 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $11.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.02 billion. Sanofi had a net margin of 12.56% and a return on equity of 27.47%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sanofi will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sanofi Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a $1.478 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2.98%. This is an increase from Sanofi’s previous annual dividend of $1.38. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. Sanofi’s payout ratio is presently 58.47%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sanofi

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in SNY. Cardinal Capital Management increased its stake in Sanofi by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 58,854 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,927,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in Sanofi by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 6,541 shares of the company’s stock worth $325,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Wynn Capital LLC increased its stake in Sanofi by 4.5% during the first quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 5,266 shares of the company’s stock worth $256,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC increased its stake in Sanofi by 2.8% during the third quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC now owns 8,722 shares of the company’s stock worth $468,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Angeles Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Sanofi by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Angeles Investment Advisors LLC now owns 12,029 shares of the company’s stock worth $598,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. 10.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Sanofi

Sanofi, a healthcare company, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of therapeutic solutions in the United States, Europe, and internationally. It operates through Pharmaceuticals, Vaccines, and Consumer Healthcare segments. The company provides specialty care, such as DUPIXENT, neurology and immunology, rare diseases, oncology, and rare blood disorders; medicines for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases; and established prescription products.