Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:REGN) Shares Gap Up - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals shares opened significantly higher at $583.01 after closing at $545.46, with a recent trading price of $558.39.
• Analysts have revised their target prices for Regeneron, with estimates ranging from $547.00 to $800.00, and the stock currently holds a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".
• Regeneron reported Q1 earnings of $8.22 EPS, missing estimates, with a revenue of $3.03 billion, representing a year-over-year decrease of 3.7%.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:REGN - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $545.46, but opened at $583.01. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals shares last traded at $558.39, with a volume of 290,109 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on REGN. Wall Street Zen downgraded Regeneron Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Regeneron Pharmaceuticals from $759.00 to $652.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company cut Regeneron Pharmaceuticals from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $580.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $695.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Regeneron Pharmaceuticals from $950.00 to $800.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $841.30.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $61.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a 50 day moving average of $538.05 and a 200 day moving average of $602.76. The company has a quick ratio of 4.73, a current ratio of 5.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:REGN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The biopharmaceutical company reported $12.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.43 by $4.46. The firm had revenue of $3,675,600 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.30 billion. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 15.06% and a net margin of 31.37%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $11.56 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post 35.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals's dividend payout ratio is presently 8.96%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals by 261.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 948 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $675,000 after purchasing an additional 686 shares during the period. American Assets Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth about $427,000. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals by 20.8% in the 4th quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC now owns 592 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $421,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth about $26,507,000. Finally, Aviva PLC raised its holdings in shares of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 65,140 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $46,401,000 after purchasing an additional 6,222 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.31% of the company's stock.

About Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc discovers, invents, develops, manufactures, and commercializes medicines for treating various diseases worldwide. The company's products include EYLEA injection to treat wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema; myopic choroidal neovascularization; diabetic retinopathy; neovascular glaucoma; and retinopathy of prematurity.