Bristol Myers Squibb Tops Q3 EPS by $0.11 and Hikes Dividend to $0.63
Bristol Myers Squibb secured a consensus “Hold” rating from 21 analysts—one sell, 13 holds and seven buys—with an average 12-month price target of $56.86. The company beat Q3 estimates with $1.63 EPS on $12.22B revenue and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.63, yielding 4.6%.
1. Analyst Consensus and Recent Ratings
Twenty‐one analysts currently cover Bristol Myers Squibb, assigning one sell rating, thirteen hold ratings and seven buy ratings, resulting in an overall consensus recommendation of Hold. Over the past year, those analysts have set an average 12-month price target of approximately 56.86. Recent actions include a reaffirmation of a Hold (C–) rating by Weiss Ratings on October 14, a Hold rating with a 53.00 price objective from HSBC on December 10, an upgrade to Strong Buy by Wall Street Zen on November 8, an Underweight reaffirmation (raised to a 37.00 objective) by Morgan Stanley on December 12 and a Moderate Buy upgrade from DBS Bank on October 2.
2. Hedge Fund and Institutional Activity
Several hedge funds and institutional investors have adjusted their positions in Bristol Myers Squibb. Trifecta Capital Advisors and Darwin Wealth Management each initiated new stakes in Q2, acquiring roughly 25,000 dollars’ worth of shares. Harbor Capital Advisors more than doubled its holding in Q3, purchasing an additional 313 shares to reach a total position of 605 shares. REAP Financial Group boosted its holding by 202.8% in Q2, adding 428 shares for a total of 639 shares. Kerr Financial Planning initiated a position in Q3. Institutional investors and hedge funds now own 76.41% of the company’s outstanding shares.
3. Quarterly Earnings Performance and Guidance
In the quarter ended September 30, the company generated revenue that exceeded consensus by approximately 4%, driven by broad strength across its oncology and immunology portfolios. Adjusted earnings per share outperformed consensus by about 7.2%. Year‐over‐year revenue growth was 2.8%. Management has set full‐year 2025 earnings guidance in a range of 6.400 to 6.600 per share, while sell‐side analysts project full‐year earnings of approximately 6.74 per share.
4. Dividend Increase and Payout Metrics
Bristol Myers Squibb announced a quarterly dividend increase of 1.6%, raising its payout from 0.62 to 0.63 per share, representing an annualized dividend of 2.52 per share and a yield of 4.6%. The dividend payout ratio stands at 85.14%, reflecting a commitment to returning capital to shareholders while maintaining investment in R&D and pipeline development.