Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) Shares Gap Up - Should You Buy?

Shares of Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY - Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $52.05, but opened at $53.90. Sanofi shares last traded at $53.57, with a volume of 697,275 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on SNY shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Sanofi from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Argus increased their price objective on Sanofi from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Sanofi to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $57.50.

Sanofi Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $137.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.60. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $56.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $51.67.

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $10.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.86 billion. Sanofi had a return on equity of 26.29% and a net margin of 9.60%. The firm's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.95 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Sanofi will post 4.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SNY. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sanofi by 113.8% in the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 5,943,547 shares of the company's stock valued at $288,381,000 after purchasing an additional 3,164,092 shares in the last quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Sanofi by 1,153.1% during the second quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC now owns 2,506,286 shares of the company's stock worth $121,605,000 after acquiring an additional 2,306,286 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Sanofi by 19.0% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 8,594,740 shares of the company's stock valued at $417,017,000 after acquiring an additional 1,370,232 shares during the period. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD raised its position in Sanofi by 43.1% in the 1st quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 3,951,089 shares of the company's stock valued at $192,023,000 after purchasing an additional 1,190,141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Sanofi by 3,440.6% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,033,549 shares of the company's stock worth $50,230,000 after purchasing an additional 1,004,358 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 10.04% of the company's stock.

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.