Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Increases Stake in Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY - Free Report) by 22.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 155,380 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 28,569 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Sanofi were worth $8,617,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in Sanofi in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in Sanofi by 59.8% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 647 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Sanofi by 30.7% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,124 shares of the company's stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 264 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Sanofi in the 4th quarter worth approximately $76,000. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc increased its holdings in Sanofi by 16.4% in the 1st quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,613 shares of the company's stock worth $89,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the period. 14.04% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on SNY shares. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Sanofi in a report on Friday, March 21st. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $65.00 price target on the stock. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Sanofi to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Sanofi in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $65.00 price objective on the stock. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Sanofi in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Sanofi in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $61.50.

Sanofi Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SNY opened at $48.18 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $118.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.21, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.50. Sanofi has a 12 month low of $45.80 and a 12 month high of $60.12. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $51.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $52.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.04. Sanofi had a net margin of 14.56% and a return on equity of 17.15%. The firm had revenue of $10.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.79 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.78 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Sanofi will post 4.36 EPS for the current year.

Sanofi Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th were paid a $2.0369 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 3.1%. This is a boost from Sanofi's previous annual dividend of $1.48. Sanofi's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.14%.

About Sanofi

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.

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