Sphera Funds Management LTD. Reduces Stock Holdings in Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY)

Sphera Funds Management LTD. reduced its holdings in Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY - Free Report) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 384,515 shares of the company's stock after selling 25,000 shares during the quarter. Sanofi accounts for 3.3% of Sphera Funds Management LTD.'s holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Sphera Funds Management LTD.'s holdings in Sanofi were worth $18,545,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sanofi during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Sanofi by 952.6% in the 4th quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 600 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 543 shares during the period. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in Sanofi in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in Sanofi by 59.8% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 647 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the period. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Sanofi in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 14.04% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on SNY shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Sanofi from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Sanofi to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Sanofi to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Sanofi in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $65.00 price target on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Sanofi in a research note on Friday, March 21st. They set a "neutral" rating and a $65.00 price target on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $63.33.

Sanofi Stock Performance

Shares of SNY opened at $50.86 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $128.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.55. Sanofi has a 12 month low of $45.80 and a 12 month high of $60.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The company's fifty day moving average is $53.50 and its 200-day moving average is $51.92.

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

Sanofi Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $2.0369 per share. This is a positive change from Sanofi's previous annual dividend of $1.48. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 3.1%. Sanofi's payout ratio is currently 57.14%.

About Sanofi

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.

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