Investors Purchase Large Volume of Put Options on Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY)

Bristol Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Traders acquired 44,454 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 71% compared to the typical volume of 26,019 put options.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bristol Myers Squibb

In other news, SVP Phil M. Holzer sold 500 shares of Bristol Myers Squibb stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.50, for a total value of $33,750.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 16,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,138,185. The trade was a 2.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bristol Myers Squibb

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BMY. Davis Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Bristol Myers Squibb in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Swiss RE Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Bristol Myers Squibb during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Bristol Myers Squibb during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Addison Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Bristol Myers Squibb during the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Bayban acquired a new stake in shares of Bristol Myers Squibb in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on BMY. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Bristol Myers Squibb from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Bristol Myers Squibb from $67.00 to $66.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Bristol Myers Squibb from $60.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 target price (up from $65.00) on shares of Bristol Myers Squibb in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 target price (up from $72.00) on shares of Bristol Myers Squibb in a report on Friday, July 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.33.

Bristol Myers Squibb News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Bristol Myers Squibb this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bristol Myers reported positive Phase 2 results for arlo-cel in heavily pretreated multiple myeloma. The data could strengthen the company’s cell-therapy pipeline and support future portfolio expansion. Bristol Myers Squibb Reports Positive Phase 2 Results For Arlo-cel In Multiple Myeloma
• Positive Sentiment: New long-term psoriasis-study data provide a potential catalyst for BMY and may reinforce the durability and commercial prospects of its immunology franchise. Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Long-Term Psoriasis Study Brings Fresh Data for BMY Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see Bristol Myers’ growth brands and pipeline progress—including arlo-cel—as supporting momentum and helping offset pressure on older products. The company could also benefit relative to Novartis from concerns surrounding deaths and trial pauses tied to Novartis’ experimental CAR-T program. Will The Recent Pipeline Progress Boost BMY’s Portfolio Expansion?
• Neutral Sentiment: Scotiabank maintained its Hold rating, suggesting the current valuation and improving pipeline are reasonably balanced against execution and competitive risks. Scotiabank Keeps Their Hold Rating on Bristol-Myers Squibb
• Neutral Sentiment: A new immuno-oncology company raised $225 million to develop a next-generation CTLA-4 drug. While not a direct BMY development, increased investment in cancer immunotherapy could add longer-term competitive pressure. A New Immuno-Oncology Play Raises $225M
• Negative Sentiment: RBC said Cytokinetics has an advantage in a patent dispute involving Bristol Myers, creating legal uncertainty and potential risk to the company’s intellectual-property position. Cytokinetics Has Advantage in Bristol-Myers Squibb Patent Dispute
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain cautious because generic competition is eroding Bristol Myers’ legacy portfolio, increasing reliance on newer growth brands and pipeline launches. BMY Gains 19.4% Year to Date

Bristol Myers Squibb Stock Down 1.0%

BMY traded down $0.65 on Thursday, reaching $63.76. 3,869,938 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,852,757. The company has a market cap of $130.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.05, a PEG ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $63.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $60.03. Bristol Myers Squibb has a 52-week low of $42.52 and a 52-week high of $68.64.

Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.60 by $0.44. Bristol Myers Squibb had a net margin of 18.87% and a return on equity of 66.90%. The company had revenue of $12.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.74 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Bristol Myers Squibb has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.750-7.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Bristol Myers Squibb will post 6.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bristol Myers Squibb Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, July 2nd were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 2nd. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. Bristol Myers Squibb’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.51%.

About Bristol Myers Squibb

Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes prescription medicines. Its portfolio includes therapies for cancer, blood disorders, cardiovascular disease, immune-mediated conditions and psychiatric disorders. Key products include Opdivo and Yervoy for oncology, Eliquis for reducing the risk of stroke and systemic embolism, Revlimid for certain blood cancers, and several other specialty medicines.

The company serves patients and healthcare providers in markets around the world, with operations and commercial activities spanning North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and other international regions.