Investors Purchase High Volume of Bristol-Myers Squibb Call Options (NYSE:BMY)

Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) was the target of some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors bought 49,090 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 21% compared to the typical volume of 40,643 call options.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Price Performance

Bristol-Myers Squibb stock opened at $59.02 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $52.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company has a market capitalization of $119.70 billion, a PE ratio of -16.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 20.09 and a beta of 0.44. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a one year low of $39.35 and a one year high of $61.08.

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

Bristol-Myers Squibb Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 1st. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th were given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.07%. Bristol-Myers Squibb’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -66.85%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $57.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $54.07.

Insider Activity at Bristol-Myers Squibb

In other news, SVP Phil M. Holzer sold 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.62, for a total transaction of $38,934.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $654,091.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP Samit Hirawat purchased 1,830 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were bought at an average price of $54.67 per share, for a total transaction of $100,046.10. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president now directly owns 62,109 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,395,499.03. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Phil M. Holzer sold 700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 owns 11,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $654,091.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Bristol-Myers Squibb

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Hollencrest Capital Management lifted its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 61.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 492 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. ESL Trust Services LLC bought a new position in Bristol-Myers Squibb in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb during the third quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors own 76.41% 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.