Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) Sees Strong Trading Volume

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 1,731,194 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 14% from the previous session’s volume of 2,013,341 shares.The stock last traded at $48.97 and had previously closed at $50.03.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. TheStreet downgraded shares of Sanofi from a “b” rating to a “c” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com cut shares of Sanofi from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Sanofi in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $55.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.00.

Sanofi Trading Down 1.5 %

The stock has a market cap of $124.61 billion, a PE ratio of 24.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.61. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $47.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.27.

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $11.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.02 billion. Sanofi had a return on equity of 19.69% and a net margin of 10.52%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Sanofi will post 4.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sanofi Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th will be issued a $1.478 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.98%. This is a positive change from Sanofi’s previous annual dividend of $1.38. Sanofi’s payout ratio is presently 69.35%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sanofi

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SNY. Armistice Capital LLC bought a new stake in Sanofi during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $51,520,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Sanofi by 16.5% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,224,508 shares of the company’s stock worth $351,111,000 after buying an additional 1,021,077 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Sanofi by 3,440.6% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,033,549 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,230,000 after acquiring an additional 1,004,358 shares during the last quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC grew its stake in Sanofi by 99.5% during the fourth quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 1,486,949 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,425,000 after acquiring an additional 741,456 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brandes Investment Partners LP increased its holdings in Sanofi by 64.6% in the 4th quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 1,770,572 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,051,000 after acquiring an additional 694,957 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 10.04% of the company’s stock.

About Sanofi

Sanofi, a healthcare company, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of therapeutic solutions in the United States, Europe, 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.