Institutions Boost Stakes in Regeneron

Bank of Nova Scotia increased its holdings in Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (REGN) by 11.7% in the third quarter, purchasing an additional 29,273 shares. The bank held 278,551 shares, or about 0.27% of the company, valued at $156.6 million as of its latest Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Cannell & Spears LLC also boosted its stake in the biopharmaceutical company during the third quarter, raising its position by 13.7%. The firm owned 30,079 shares worth $16.9 million after buying 3,618 additional shares.

Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC moved in the opposite direction, trimming its Regeneron (REGN) position by 55.4% in the same period. After selling 93,000 shares, it held 75,000 shares, representing about 0.07% of the company, valued at $42.2 million.

Across the shareholder base, a range of smaller institutional investors, including CoreCap Advisors, Strait & Sound Wealth Management, and others, modestly increased their positions. Overall, institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.31% of Regeneron’s stock.

Several new or expanding positions were reported among smaller firms, such as Salomon & Ludwin LLC, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd., Caitlin John LLC, Traub Capital Management LLC and Berbice Capital Management LLC, which acquired or increased relatively small stakes in the company.

Insiders have been net sellers in recent months. Senior Vice President Jason Pitofsky sold 2,036 shares on February 9 at an average price of $778.52, reducing his holdings by 32.28% to 4,272 shares. Director Arthur F. Ryan sold 100 shares the same day at $778.53 and retained 17,803 shares.

Director Huda Y. Zoghbi sold 1,638 shares on February 19 at an average price of $781.33, leaving her with 1,703 shares. Director Bonnie L. Bassler sold 1,500 shares on January 7 at $800.00 per share, retaining 1,703 shares. In total, insiders sold 5,274 shares worth about $4.14 million over the last quarter and hold 7.02% of the company.

Regeneron reported quarterly earnings on January 30, posting non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $11.44, above analysts’ consensus estimate of $10.74. Revenue came in at $3.88 billion, ahead of the $3.76 billion expectation and up 2.5% from the same quarter a year earlier.

The company recorded a net margin of 31.41% and a return on equity of 13.04%. In the same quarter of the prior year, Regeneron earned $12.07 per share. Analysts expect full-year earnings per share of 35.92.

Regeneron declared a quarterly dividend, paying $0.94 per share on March 5 to shareholders of record on February 20. The new dividend equates to $3.76 on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%, with a dividend payout ratio of 9.05%.

As of the latest trading session, Regeneron shares opened at $745.77. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $769.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $694.92. The company has a market capitalization of $78.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.94, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.41.

Analyst coverage remains broadly positive. According to data cited in the articles, Regeneron carries a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy,” with two analysts assigning Strong Buy ratings, fifteen rating the shares Buy and nine rating them Hold.

Recent research notes have raised price targets. Evercore lifted its price objective from $750.00 to $875.00 with an “outperform” rating. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) increased its target from $850.00 to $950.00 and rated the stock “overweight.”

Other firms also adjusted their views. Morgan Stanley (MS) nudged its price target from $768.00 to $769.00 with an “equal weight” rating, while Barclays (BARC.L) initiated coverage with an “overweight” rating and a $923.00 target price. Oppenheimer, Cantor Fitzgerald, Guggenheim and HSBC also issued positive or upgraded assessments with higher targets.

Weiss Ratings maintained a “hold (c)” rating, and Zacks Research lowered its view from “strong-buy” to “hold.” Across the various reports, the average price target referenced is $802.27.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., listed on NASDAQ under the symbol REGN, is a U.S.-based biotechnology company founded in 1988 and headquartered in Tarrytown, New York. The company discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines for serious medical conditions.

Regeneron uses proprietary drug discovery technologies, including its VelocImmune platform, to generate fully human monoclonal antibodies. Its operations span laboratory research, clinical development and in-house manufacturing across multiple therapeutic areas.