Sentry LLC Sells 901 Shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY)

Sentry LLC decreased its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) by 5.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 17,167 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 901 shares during the period. Sentry LLC’s holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $971,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of BMY. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hollencrest Capital Management boosted its stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 61.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 492 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb during the third quarter worth $28,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Bristol-Myers Squibb during the third quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1,168.1% in the third quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 596 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 549 shares during the period. 76.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BMY opened at $59.11 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83. The stock has a market cap of $119.88 billion, a PE ratio of -16.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.45. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $57.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $52.97. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a 1-year low of $39.35 and a 1-year high of $61.10.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $11.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.26 billion. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a negative net margin of 15.30% and a positive return on equity of 11.94%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.00 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 0.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 3rd will be paid a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.20%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 3rd. This is an increase from Bristol-Myers Squibb’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Bristol-Myers Squibb’s payout ratio is presently -69.08%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $53.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Barclays increased their price target on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 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 company from $63.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $57.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $56.60.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Samit Hirawat purchased 1,830 shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was bought at an average price of $54.67 per share, for a total transaction of $100,046.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 62,109 shares in the company, valued at $3,395,499.03. This represents a 3.04 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Phil M. Holzer sold 700 shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.62, for a total transaction of $38,934.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $654,091.20. This represents a 5.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.