Franklin Resources Inc. Buys 369,530 Shares of Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY)

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) by 10.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,776,982 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 369,530 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.15% of Sanofi worth $182,164,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Sanofi by 31.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 139,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,040,000 after acquiring an additional 33,105 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Sanofi by 408.6% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 160,339 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,244,000 after acquiring an additional 128,811 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. bought a new stake in Sanofi in the third quarter valued at $991,000. Hilltop Holdings Inc. increased its position in Sanofi by 47.9% during the 3rd quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 10,224 shares of the company’s stock valued at $589,000 after purchasing an additional 3,313 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sanofi by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 88,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,081,000 after purchasing an additional 848 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 14.04% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on SNY. StockNews.com downgraded Sanofi from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Sanofi to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Sanofi from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Sanofi in a research report on Friday, March 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $65.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sanofi currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.50.

Sanofi Price Performance

Shares of SNY opened at $54.34 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $137.91 billion, a PE ratio of 21.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.58. Sanofi has a 1-year low of $45.22 and a 1-year high of $60.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $55.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $52.73.

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.70. Sanofi had a return on equity of 25.61% and a net margin of 12.77%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Sanofi will post 4.36 EPS for the current year.

Sanofi Company Profile

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.