Sanofi Purchases Shares of 821,917 AnaptysBio, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANAB)

Sanofi bought a new stake in shares of AnaptysBio, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANAB - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 821,917 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $10,882,000. AnaptysBio comprises approximately 6.2% of Sanofi's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Sanofi owned 2.70% of AnaptysBio at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of AnaptysBio by 191.4% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 33,744 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,130,000 after purchasing an additional 22,164 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in AnaptysBio by 41.0% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 334,450 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $4,428,000 after acquiring an additional 97,200 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in AnaptysBio by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,843,740 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $24,411,000 after acquiring an additional 143,584 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in AnaptysBio in the 4th quarter valued at $311,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC grew its position in AnaptysBio by 1,891.5% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 4,461 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 4,237 shares during the last quarter.

AnaptysBio Price Performance

Shares of ANAB stock traded up $0.25 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $20.47. The stock had a trading volume of 434,133 shares, compared to its average volume of 600,688. AnaptysBio, Inc. has a 12-month low of $12.21 and a 12-month high of $41.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $601.41 million, a P/E ratio of -3.37 and a beta of -0.20. The firm's 50-day moving average is $19.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $18.23.

AnaptysBio (NASDAQ:ANAB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.30) by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $27.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.27 million. AnaptysBio had a negative return on equity of 287.94% and a negative net margin of 289.75%. Analysts expect that AnaptysBio, Inc. will post -6.08 EPS for the current year.

AnaptysBio announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Monday, March 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $75.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the biotechnology company to repurchase up to 13.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on ANAB. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of AnaptysBio in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Johnson Rice reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of AnaptysBio in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Wolfe Research began coverage on AnaptysBio in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $25.00 price objective on the stock. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $22.00 price objective on shares of AnaptysBio in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on AnaptysBio from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $35.88.

AnaptysBio Profile

AnaptysBio, Inc, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, focuses in delivering immunology therapeutics. Its products include Rosnilimab, an IgG1 antibody that targets PD-1+ T cells, resulting in their agonism or depletion, broadly impacting pathogenic drivers of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases; and ANB032, a non-depleting antibody that binds to the BTLA checkpoint receptor and inhibits activated T cell proliferation; ANB033, a novel anti-CD122 antagonist antibody that targets the shared common beta subunit of the receptors for IL-15 and IL-2; ANB101, a BDCA2 modulator antibody that specifically targets plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs); and Imsidolimab, an antibody that inhibits the interleukin-36 receptor, which is in the Phase 3 development for the treatment of generalized pustular psoriasis.