Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Purchases 5,198 Shares of Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY - Free Report) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 164,538 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,198 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP's holdings in Sanofi were worth $7,936,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Abel Hall LLC boosted its position in Sanofi by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Abel Hall LLC now owns 10,990 shares of the company's stock worth $530,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the period. Providence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sanofi by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 55,001 shares of the company's stock worth $2,653,000 after buying an additional 201 shares during the period. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management grew its stake in Sanofi by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management now owns 12,928 shares of the company's stock valued at $624,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Bailard Inc. raised its holdings in Sanofi by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 16,359 shares of the company's stock valued at $789,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in Sanofi by 59.8% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 647 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. 14.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SNY has been the topic of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Sanofi from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Sanofi in a research report on Friday, March 21st. They set a "neutral" rating and a $65.00 price objective on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Sanofi to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Sanofi to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Sanofi in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $65.00 price objective for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Sanofi currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $63.33.

Sanofi Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SNY traded up $1.45 during trading on Thursday, reaching $50.66. 1,444,122 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,376,423. The firm has a market capitalization of $127.98 billion, a PE ratio of 20.35, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.55. Sanofi has a 52 week low of $45.80 and a 52 week high of $60.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The company's 50 day moving average is $53.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $51.94.

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.04. Sanofi had a net margin of 12.77% and a return on equity of 25.61%. The business had revenue of $10.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.79 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.78 earnings per share. Sanofi's revenue was down 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Sanofi will post 4.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Sanofi Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $2.0369 per share. This is a positive change from Sanofi's previous annual dividend of $1.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.1%. Sanofi's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.14%.

Sanofi Profile

Sanofi, a healthcare company, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of therapeutic solutions in the United States, Europe, Canada, 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.