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

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped up prior to trading 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 changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on SNY. StockNews.com downgraded Sanofi from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Sanofi in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $55.00 price target for the company. Finally, TheStreet cut Sanofi from a "b" rating to a "c" rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Sanofi presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $55.00.

Sanofi Price Performance

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 firm has a market cap of $124.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.92, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.61. The business has a fifty day moving average of $47.65 and a 200 day moving average of $48.45.

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.94 by ($0.05). Sanofi had a return on equity of 27.47% and a net margin of 12.56%. The firm had revenue of $11.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.02 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Sanofi will post 4.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Sanofi Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.478 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. This is a boost from Sanofi's previous annual dividend of $1.38. Sanofi's payout ratio is currently 58.47%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sanofi

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in shares of Sanofi by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 13,032,746 shares of the company's stock worth $648,617,000 after acquiring an additional 245,682 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in shares of Sanofi by 4.6% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,322,806 shares of the company's stock valued at $392,796,000 after buying an additional 323,968 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Sanofi by 16.5% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,224,508 shares of the company's stock valued at $351,111,000 after buying an additional 1,021,077 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sanofi by 29.8% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,838,903 shares of the company's stock valued at $152,279,000 after buying an additional 651,756 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Sanofi by 15.9% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 2,528,289 shares of the company's stock valued at $135,618,000 after buying an additional 346,563 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 10.04% of the company's stock.

Sanofi Company Profile

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.