Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Lowers Holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 321,995 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 8,196 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $18,212,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in BMY. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 39.8% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 664 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. 76.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Trading Up 3.1 %

BMY opened at $63.00 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $127.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -14.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.43. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $57.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $55.28. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a one year low of $39.35 and a one year high of $63.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.90, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.25.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 6.74 EPS for the current year.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th will be issued a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 4th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.94%. Bristol-Myers Squibb’s payout ratio is -56.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Leerink Partners raised Bristol-Myers Squibb from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $55.00 to $73.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Bristol-Myers Squibb from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $63.00 to $70.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $63.00 price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $57.86.

Insider Activity at Bristol-Myers Squibb

In other news, EVP Samit Hirawat purchased 1,823 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $54.84 per share, for a total transaction of $99,973.32. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president now owns 63,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,506,030.88. This trade represents a 2.94 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Bristol-Myers Squibb 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.