Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMY)
Bristol-Myers Squibb turns laboratory science into prescription drugs, getting paid by healthcare providers and insurers worldwide.
Is Bristol-Myers Squibb Company a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: High gross margin showing strong pricing power on specialised medicines. Worth weighing: Heavily reliant on ongoing scientific research success.
Is this normal for this company?
Each figure against the range this same company has produced recently. Neither end of a range is the good end.
Share price divided by the earnings actually reported over the four most recent quarters. The range is the same calculation at each of this company's last few results, so roughly the past year.
Profit as a share of sales, from the company's own quarterly statements. The range covers the 5 quarters we hold, and the figure shown is its most recent one.
How these ranges are built
Every number here is the company's own reported figure, not a comparison with other companies. The ranges come from this company's own results and its share price. Where it reports in a different currency from the one its shares trade in, the price-to-earnings range is left out rather than mixing the two.
What does Bristol-Myers Squibb Company do?
This pharmaceutical giant relies on hospitals, pharmacies, and insurance systems purchasing its specialised medicines to generate revenue. It constantly pours money into research to find the next big medical breakthrough. What matters most is how well its newer treatments make up for older blockbusters losing their exclusive patent protections.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on momentum and quality, and weakest on growth.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 3.9% a year
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 6% over the year
- ✓Very profitable - turns about 19% of sales into profit
- !Carries a lot of debt - roughly 2.0x its equity
- ✓Strong return on shareholder money (ROE 47%)
- Momentum screens high
- —
Does Bristol-Myers Squibb Company pay a dividend?
Yes - Bristol-Myers Squibb Company currently pays a dividend of about 3.9% a year, which is £39 a year for every £1,000 invested (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it. An ISA doesn't shelter the US tax on this one →
What do the numbers say about Bristol-Myers Squibb Company's dividend?
There's no rating here, and we don't judge whether the dividend will continue - that would be advice. Here are the figures income investors usually look at, and what each one means, so you can weigh it up yourself.
Figures are from the latest available data and can be distorted by one-off results. Past payments don't predict future ones, and a dividend can be cut at any time. This lays out the numbers to help you understand them - it is not a view on what will happen.
Most recent ex-dividend date: 2 Jul 2026. To receive a dividend you must already own the shares before the ex-dividend date; become a holder on or after it and the previous owner keeps that payment. Why the price usually falls that morning →
Does Bristol-Myers Squibb Company have more cash or more debt?
It holds about $11.07B in cash against about $45.05B of debt - so it has net debt of about $33.99B. Debt is not automatically a problem - it funds growth - but it has to be serviced and repaid, which matters more when profits wobble.
From the latest reported balance sheet. Cash and debt levels change, and some borrowing is normal - this is context, not a judgment.
What do Bristol-Myers Squibb Company's numbers mean?
How has it performed?
Growth of £1,000, the worst fall, and year by year
Over about 2 years to 2026-09-11. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
How much has Bristol-Myers Squibb Company actually fallen?
Over the last 2 years of daily prices, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company fell as much as −32% from a high to a later low. Falls like this are normal when you own a share.
Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.
How has it done year by year?
Calendar-year total return - the share price with dividends reinvested - from adjusted closing prices. The current year is only part-complete. Past returns are not a guide to the future.
A closer look at the numbers
Ownership, earnings history, where the money goes, and the outlook range
Does the share price tell you if it's cheap or expensive?
Who owns Bristol-Myers Squibb Company?
About 85% of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, or about 85 in every 100 shares, is held by big institutions such as pension and index funds. The rest, roughly 15%, is held by the public and smaller investors.
What this does and doesn't tell you
This is a recent snapshot of the share register, and it moves. We don't read anything into who owns what - a high institutional share is common for any large listed company and is not a signal about it.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
How much money does Bristol-Myers Squibb Company make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Where does each £100 of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company's sales go?
A rough split of the latest full-year figures: of every £100 of sales, about £28 covers making the product or service, £53 goes on running costs, tax and interest, and about £19 is left as profit. Margins vary a lot by industry, and one-off items can distort a single year.
When does Bristol-Myers Squibb Company report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company is next scheduled to report on about 2026-10-29 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
‘Beat’ and ‘missed’ are against what analysts expected, not whether the business is doing well.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-30 | $1.60 | $2.04 | Beat +28% |
| 2026-04-30 | $1.42 | $1.58 | Beat +11% |
| 2026-02-05 | $1.20 | $1.26 | Beat +5% |
| 2025-10-30 | $1.52 | $1.63 | Beat +8% |
| 2025-07-31 | $1.10 | $1.46 | Beat +33% |
| 2025-04-24 | $1.50 | $1.80 | Beat +20% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company came in ahead of what analysts expected 6 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Where these figures come from
Each quarter a company reports its results against a consensus of analyst forecasts. The figures here are reported versus expected earnings per share from published results; the expectation is that analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates and can move.
What are the scenarios for Bristol-Myers Squibb Company?
An illustrative range for the year ahead — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros, cons and common questions?
The case each way, and the questions people ask
Successful development of multiple blockbuster therapies transforming healthcare.
Failure to innovate, leading to a shrinking product lineup.
What are the pros and cons of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company?
A balance check, not a score or verdict.
- High gross margin: The share of each £1 of sales left after the direct cost of making the product, before other running costs. Higher usually means more pricing power. showing strong pricing power on specialised medicines
- Solid dividend income stream for shareholders
- Calmer share price movement relative to the broader market
- Heavily reliant on ongoing scientific research success
- Revenue growth: How fast the company's sales grew versus a year ago. is modest at present
- Significant reliance on a few key treatments
- Loss of patent protection allowing cheaper generic alternatives to enter the market
- Changes in government healthcare policies and drug pricing pressures
- Clinical trial failures wasting substantial research spending
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- Major regulatory rejections for core pipeline drugs
- A sudden acceleration or collapse in patent litigation outcomes
Common questions about Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
Does Bristol-Myers Squibb Company pay a dividend?
Yes - Bristol-Myers Squibb Company currently pays a dividend of about 3.9% a year. Dividends are a share of profit paid to holders; the yield moves with the price and payouts can be cut.
When does Bristol-Myers Squibb Company report earnings next?
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company is next scheduled to report results on about 2026-10-29. Report dates are estimates and can move; this is a diary note for when to look, not a forecast of the outcome.
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The Cigna GroupBuilt from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.