Franklin Resources Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY)

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) by 10.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,776,982 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 369,530 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Sanofi were worth $182,164,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Sanofi by 19.8% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,175 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,000 after purchasing an additional 525 shares during the period. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Sanofi by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 5,747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $278,000 after acquiring an additional 987 shares in the last quarter. Intrust Bank NA boosted its stake in shares of Sanofi by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 27,978 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,349,000 after acquiring an additional 1,391 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of Sanofi by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 71,179 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,433,000 after purchasing an additional 6,893 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Providence Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Sanofi by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 55,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,653,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 14.04% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Sanofi to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com lowered Sanofi from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Sanofi from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Sanofi in a report on Friday, March 21st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $65.00 price target for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $62.50.

Sanofi Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SNY opened at $54.34 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $55.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $52.73. Sanofi has a 52 week low of $45.22 and a 52 week high of $60.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $137.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.82, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.58.

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $0.70 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, analysts expect that Sanofi will post 4.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.