Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY)

Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) by 7.9% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 93,780 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,872 shares during the quarter. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Sanofi were worth $5,201,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Sanofi by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 12,059,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $581,619,000 after acquiring an additional 408,752 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Sanofi by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 12,017,140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $579,587,000 after buying an additional 441,637 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Sanofi by 88.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,843,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $522,991,000 after acquiring an additional 5,091,304 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its stake in shares of Sanofi by 86.4% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,396,531 shares of the company’s stock worth $260,607,000 after acquiring an additional 2,501,073 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Sanofi by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,776,982 shares of the company’s stock valued at $182,164,000 after purchasing an additional 369,530 shares during the last quarter. 14.04% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the company. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Sanofi in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Morgan Stanley set a $56.00 price objective on Sanofi in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Sanofi in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $65.00 target price for the company. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Sanofi to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Sanofi in a research note on Friday, March 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $65.00 price objective on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sanofi currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $61.50.

Sanofi Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SNY opened at $49.88 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $51.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $52.00. The firm has a market cap of $122.33 billion, a PE ratio of 20.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.50. Sanofi has a one year low of $45.80 and a one year high of $60.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.46.

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 analysts’ expectations of $9.79 billion. Sanofi had a return on equity of 25.61% and a net margin of 12.77%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.78 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Sanofi will post 4.36 EPS for the current year.

Sanofi Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a dividend of $2.0369 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.1%. This is a positive change from Sanofi’s previous annual dividend of $1.48. Sanofi’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.14%.

Sanofi 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.