Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Boosts Stake in Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,541 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Sanofi were worth $325,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Sanofi Stock Performance

SNY opened at $49.13 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $124.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $47.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.41. Sanofi has a 1-year low of $42.63 and a 1-year high of $56.26.

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $11.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.02 billion. Sanofi had a return on equity of 27.47% and a net margin of 12.56%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Sanofi will post 4.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sanofi Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a $1.478 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a yield of 2.98%. This is a positive change from Sanofi’s previous annual dividend of $1.38. Sanofi’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut Sanofi from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Sanofi in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $55.00 target price on the stock. Finally, TheStreet cut Sanofi from a “b” rating to a “c” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.