The CEO of Sanofi, Chris Viebacher, launched an optimistic message during the investor day in Paris. This was stated by the Standard & Poor's rating agency, which confirmed the company's outlook by reiterating the hold judgment and the target price at 60 euros. Sanofi he recalled that 2012 is the last patent expiry for key drugs and that the target of 2 billion euros set by the savings program started in 2009 will be reached in 2011, two years ahead of schedule.
According to S&P, the aggregate sales growth rate will be 5%. However, higher earnings-per-share growth over the 2013-2015 period assumes significant success in the current product pipeline. According to S&P, investors must therefore be cautious, given the risks inherent in the research and development sector. Sanofi however, it intends to present 6 of the 19 new drugs it will launch by 2013 in the first quarter of 2012. The share today in Piazza Affari gains 0.32% to 49.96 euros.
Rbs instead analyzed the Astrazeneca stock, maintaining the hold rating but revising the target price upwards from 28.25 to 29.15 pounds per share. Despite the upgrade, RBS believes that the British pharmaceutical company's fundamental weakness lies in its poor product pipeline, and sees no short-term solutions. Furthermore, the most innovative research and development sector seems to be at a standstill.
