Sanofi Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:SNY)

Key Points

• Sanofi saw unusually high call-option activity: Investors purchased 4,046 call options, about 74% above the average volume of 2,321.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Sanofi has an average “Hold” rating and a consensus price target of $49.50, with recent upgrades and downgrades from multiple research firms.
• The stock declined 6.7% to $41.84 on Thursday, nearing its 52-week low of $40.89, while institutional investors increased holdings and collectively own 14.03% of the company.

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Investors purchased 4,046 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 74% compared to the average volume of 2,321 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on SNY shares. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Sanofi in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Sanofi from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered Sanofi from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $50.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Argus upgraded shares of Sanofi to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Sanofi from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $49.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aberdeen Group plc increased its stake in shares of Sanofi by 22.7% in the 4th quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 467,241 shares of the company's stock worth $22,642,000 after acquiring an additional 86,314 shares in the last quarter. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. bought a new stake in Sanofi during the fourth quarter worth about $5,424,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in Sanofi by 24.2% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 443,668 shares of the company's stock worth $21,500,000 after acquiring an additional 86,496 shares in the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in Sanofi by 131.5% in the fourth quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 71,708 shares of the company's stock worth $3,475,000 after purchasing an additional 40,738 shares during the period. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Sanofi by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 111,465 shares of the company's stock worth $5,402,000 after purchasing an additional 17,511 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 14.03% of the company's stock.

Sanofi Stock Down 6.7%

SNY traded down $3.01 on Thursday, hitting $41.84. The company had a trading volume of 4,156,012 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,595,017. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $43.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $45.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.34. Sanofi has a 52-week low of $40.89 and a 52-week high of $52.68.

About Sanofi

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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