Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) Shares Gap Up - Still a Buy?

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY - Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $45.89, but opened at $47.65. Sanofi shares last traded at $47.85, with a volume of 453,757 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on SNY shares. StockNews.com lowered Sanofi from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup upgraded Sanofi to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sanofi presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $57.50.

Sanofi Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $124.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.92, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $50.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $52.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 25th. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $1.35. Sanofi had a return on equity of 27.45% and a net margin of 9.96%. The company had revenue of $13.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.59 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.55 EPS. Sanofi's quarterly revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Sanofi will post 4.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sanofi

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its holdings in Sanofi by 113.8% during 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 buying an additional 3,164,092 shares during the period. Magnetar Financial LLC lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 2,306,286 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in Sanofi by 938.0% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,904,445 shares of the company's stock valued at $109,753,000 after purchasing an additional 1,720,972 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in shares of Sanofi by 28,890.2% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,429,219 shares of the company's stock worth $82,366,000 after buying an additional 1,424,289 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 14.04% of the company's stock.

About Sanofi

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.