Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Sanford C. Bernstein

Key Points

• Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Sanofi to a "strong-buy" rating in a note to investors on Thursday.
• Analyst coverage is mixed—one Strong Buy, five Buy and eight Hold—resulting in a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $61.50.
• Shares opened at $44.60 with a market cap of $108.78 billion and a P/E of 12.39, and several institutions (including Mondrian, Raymond James and Morgan Stanley) have recently built sizable positions, with 14.03% of the stock owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein to a "strong-buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Wall Street Zen cut Sanofi from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Barclays cut shares of Sanofi from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Sanofi in a report on Friday, January 16th. Bank of America lowered shares of Sanofi from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Sanofi in a report on Monday, December 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.50.

Sanofi Stock Performance

Shares of SNY opened at $44.60 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $108.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.45. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $46.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $48.05. Sanofi has a 12 month low of $43.32 and a 12 month high of $57.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD bought a new position in shares of Sanofi in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $171,742,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its position in Sanofi by 81.3% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 5,879,894 shares of the company's stock valued at $284,058,000 after buying an additional 2,635,867 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in Sanofi by 10,152.1% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,200,107 shares of the company's stock valued at $103,846,000 after buying an additional 2,178,647 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors purchased a new stake in Sanofi during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $79,960,000. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its position in Sanofi by 20.4% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,102,196 shares of the company's stock worth $441,093,000 after acquiring an additional 1,540,271 shares during the period. 14.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sanofi Company 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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