Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the twenty ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have issued a hold recommendation, four have given a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $57.86.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BMY. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $57.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $63.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Leerink Partnrs raised Bristol-Myers Squibb from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Trading Up 0.4 %

Bristol-Myers Squibb stock opened at $59.85 on Thursday. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a 12-month low of $39.35 and a 12-month high of $61.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.90, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $121.45 billion, a PE ratio of -13.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $57.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.86.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.20. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a positive return on equity of 13.93% and a negative net margin of 18.53%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 6.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be paid a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.14%. Bristol-Myers Squibb’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -56.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bristol-Myers Squibb

In other Bristol-Myers Squibb news, EVP Samit Hirawat bought 1,823 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $54.84 per share, with a total value of $99,973.32. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president now owns 63,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,506,030.88. The trade was a 2.94 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bristol-Myers Squibb

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BMY. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Hollencrest Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 61.3% in the third quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 492 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Pinney & Scofield Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 76.41% of the company’s stock.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Profile

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, and neuroscience diseases. The company's products include Eliquis for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in non-valvular atrial fibrillation, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for various anti-cancer indications, including bladder, blood, CRC, head and neck, RCC, HCC, lung, melanoma, MPM, stomach and esophageal cancer; Pomalyst/Imnovid for multiple myeloma; Orencia for active rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis; and Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia.