Sphera Funds Management LTD. Takes Position in Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY)

Sphera Funds Management LTD. bought a new stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 20,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $1,131,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in Bristol-Myers Squibb in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Tacita Capital Inc bought a new position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Institutional investors own 76.41% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on BMY shares. Piper Sandler started coverage on Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $65.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $60.00 to $54.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $58.00.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Price Performance

NYSE:BMY traded up $0.47 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $47.22. The stock had a trading volume of 9,885,275 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,219,988. 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 has a 52 week low of $39.35 and a 52 week high of $63.33. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $53.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $55.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.10 billion, a PE ratio of -10.68, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.39.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.30. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a positive return on equity of 13.93% and a negative net margin of 18.53%. The business had revenue of $11.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.77 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($4.40) EPS. The company's revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 6.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th were paid a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 4th. Bristol-Myers Squibb's payout ratio is 92.88%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Samit Hirawat bought 4,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $47.58 per share, with a total value of $202,215.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 83,513 shares in the company, valued at $3,973,548.54. This trade represents a 5.36% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

About Bristol-Myers Squibb

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.