Key Insights

Given the large stake in the stock by institutions, Bristol-Myers Squibb's stock price might be vulnerable to their trading decisions 50% of the business is held by the top 22 shareholders Recent purchases by insiders

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A look at the shareholders of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) can tell us which group is most powerful. With 81% stake, institutions possess the maximum shares in the company. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

Since institutional have access to huge amounts of capital, their market moves tend to receive a lot of scrutiny by retail or individual investors. As a result, a sizeable amount of institutional money invested in a firm is generally viewed as a positive attribute.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Check out our latest analysis for Bristol-Myers Squibb NYSE:BMY Ownership Breakdown May 23rd 2025

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Bristol-Myers Squibb?

Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.

Bristol-Myers Squibb already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Bristol-Myers Squibb, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.NYSE:BMY Earnings and Revenue Growth May 23rd 2025

Investors should note that institutions actually own more than half the company, so they can collectively wield significant power. Bristol-Myers Squibb is not owned by hedge funds. The Vanguard Group, Inc. is currently the company's largest shareholder with 9.4% of shares outstanding. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 7.9% and 4.7% of the stock.

Looking at the shareholder registry, we can see that 50% of the ownership is controlled by the top 22 shareholders, meaning that no single shareholder has a majority interest in the ownership.

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While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of Bristol-Myers Squibb

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group.

Our data suggests that insiders own under 1% of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company in their own names. As it is a large company, we'd only expect insiders to own a small percentage of it. But it's worth noting that they own US$74m worth of shares. It is good to see board members owning shares, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 19% stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Bristol-Myers Squibb better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should be aware of the  3 warning signs  we've spotted with Bristol-Myers Squibb .

If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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