Bailard Inc. Reduces Stake in Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY)

Bailard Inc. lowered its holdings in Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 15,267 shares of the company’s stock after selling 346 shares during the quarter. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Sanofi were worth $759,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Rise Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Sanofi by 98.4% in the 4th quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 506 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 251 shares during the period. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sanofi in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sanofi by 163.5% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 535 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. CNB Bank purchased a new position in shares of Sanofi in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA lifted its stake in shares of Sanofi by 115.6% in the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA now owns 746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 10.04% of the company’s stock.

Sanofi Stock Down 0.5 %

Sanofi stock opened at $49.13 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $47.71 and a 200 day moving average of $48.41. Sanofi has a one year low of $42.63 and a one year high of $56.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.27. The stock has a market cap of $124.28 billion, a PE ratio of 24.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.61.

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.94 by ($0.05). Sanofi had a net margin of 10.52% and a return on equity of 19.69%. The company had revenue of $11.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.02 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Sanofi will post 4.09 EPS for the current year.

Sanofi Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on SNY. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Sanofi in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $55.00 target price for the company. TheStreet cut Sanofi from a “b” rating to a “c” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Sanofi from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $55.00.

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.