Principal Securities Inc. Buys 7,204 Shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY)

Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) by 19.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 44,800 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,204 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $2,534,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Bristol-Myers Squibb Stock Down 3.8 %

Bristol-Myers Squibb stock opened at $53.85 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83. The company has a market capitalization of $109.22 billion, a PE ratio of -12.18, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.45. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $57.21 and its 200 day moving average is $54.15. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a 12-month low of $39.35 and a 12-month high of $61.10.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.20. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a positive return on equity of 13.81% and a negative net margin of 18.53%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 6.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were paid a $0.62 dividend. This is a positive change from Bristol-Myers Squibb’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.61%. Bristol-Myers Squibb’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -56.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on BMY shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Leerink Partners raised Bristol-Myers Squibb from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $55.00 to $73.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $57.86.

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.