Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 342,652 Shares of Sanofi $SNY

Key Points

• Franklin Resources cut its stake in Sanofi by 8.0%, selling 342,652 shares in Q3 and now holds 3,931,758 shares (about 0.16%) valued at roughly $185.58 million.
• Other institutions made big moves—most notably Thrivent Financial added 2,178,647 shares (a 10,152.1% increase) and now owns 2,200,107 shares; hedge funds and institutional investors hold about 14.03% of the stock.
• Analyst consensus is cautious: the average rating is "Hold" (5 Buys, 9 Holds) with an average target of $62.67, while Sanofi trades near $43.63 with a market cap of ~$106.4 billion and a P/E of 12.12.

Franklin Resources Inc. reduced its stake in Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY - Free Report) by 8.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,931,758 shares of the company's stock after selling 342,652 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.16% of Sanofi worth $185,579,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Caprock Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Sanofi in the third quarter worth approximately $1,347,000. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Sanofi by 11.8% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 3,113,381 shares of the company's stock valued at $146,952,000 after acquiring an additional 327,569 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in Sanofi by 25.0% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 357,172 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,859,000 after acquiring an additional 71,356 shares in the last quarter. Regal Partners Ltd boosted its stake in Sanofi by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Regal Partners Ltd now owns 1,657,539 shares of the company's stock valued at $78,236,000 after purchasing an additional 109,335 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in shares of Sanofi by 10,152.1% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,200,107 shares of the company's stock worth $103,846,000 after purchasing an additional 2,178,647 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 14.03% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating on shares of Sanofi in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Sanofi from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Sanofi in a research note on Monday, December 29th. HSBC reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Sanofi in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Sanofi in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $62.67.

Sanofi Price Performance

NASDAQ SNY opened at $43.63 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $46.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.28. Sanofi has a 52 week low of $43.34 and a 52 week high of $59.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $106.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.12, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.45.

Sanofi Profile

Sanofi NASDAQ: SNY is a multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in France that researches, develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and consumer healthcare products. The company operates across multiple therapeutic areas, including immunology, rare diseases, oncology, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and vaccines through its Sanofi Pasteur division. Sanofi sells products to hospitals, clinics, governments and retail pharmacies, with a broad global footprint and significant presence in Europe, North America and emerging markets.

Key commercial offerings include specialty biologics and established small-molecule medicines.

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