Becker Capital Management Inc. Has $26.71 Million Stake in Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY)

Becker Capital Management Inc. cut its position in shares of Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY - Free Report) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 553,764 shares of the company's stock after selling 30,578 shares during the quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Sanofi were worth $26,708,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SNY. Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its position in shares of Sanofi by 19.0% during the fourth quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 4,709 shares of the company's stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 751 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sanofi by 7.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 254,738 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,681,000 after purchasing an additional 16,780 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Sanofi by 20.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,310,809 shares of the company's stock valued at $133,172,000 after buying an additional 399,301 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Sanofi during the 4th quarter worth about $436,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sanofi by 1,020.5% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 48,430 shares of the company's stock worth $2,791,000 after acquiring an additional 44,108 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 14.04% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Sanofi Trading Up 2.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:SNY traded up $1.34 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $55.44. The stock had a trading volume of 2,254,692 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,344,510. The company's 50 day moving average is $54.53 and its 200-day moving average is $52.07. Sanofi has a 12-month low of $45.80 and a 12-month high of $60.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.46. The company has a market cap of $140.06 billion, a PE ratio of 22.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.57.

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.04. Sanofi had a return on equity of 25.61% and a net margin of 12.77%. The firm had revenue of $10.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.78 earnings per share. Sanofi's quarterly revenue was down 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Sanofi will post 4.36 EPS for the current year.

Sanofi Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This is an increase from Sanofi's previous annual dividend of $1.48. This represents a yield of 3.1%. Sanofi's payout ratio is presently 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.