Bristol Myers Squibb vs. Pfizer: Dividend Comparison
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 2 days ago
0mins
Source: Yahoo Finance
- Yield Comparison: Pfizer currently boasts a forward dividend yield of 6.7%, significantly higher than Bristol Myers Squibb's 4.6%, yet this elevated yield raises market concerns regarding Pfizer's dividend sustainability, potentially impacting its long-term investment appeal.
- Payout Ratio Analysis: With a payout ratio around 40%, Bristol Myers Squibb remains within a healthy range, while Pfizer's exceeds 60%, nearing unsustainable levels, indicating that Pfizer may face liquidity pressures in the future, affecting its ability to repay debt and invest in growth.
- Dividend Growth Potential: Bristol Myers Squibb has increased its dividend for 18 consecutive years with an average growth rate of 5.3%, compared to Pfizer's 16 years and 4.4% growth, suggesting that Bristol Myers Squibb holds stronger potential for dividend growth, appealing to long-term income-focused investors.
- Market Performance and Outlook: Since January, total returns for Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer stand at 3.2% and 6.1%, respectively, with both trading at under 9 times forward earnings; despite facing similar market challenges, Bristol Myers Squibb excels in dividend growth and durability, making it a potentially stronger investment choice.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy BMY?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on BMY
Wall Street analysts forecast BMY stock price to fall
20 Analyst Rating
8 Buy
11 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 56.600
Low
37.00
Averages
55.86
High
68.00
Current: 56.600
Low
37.00
Averages
55.86
High
68.00
About BMY
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company is a global biopharmaceutical company. It is engaged in the discovery, development, and delivery of transformational medicines for patients facing serious diseases in areas: oncology, hematology, immunology, cardiovascular, neuroscience and other areas. Its growth portfolio includes Opdivo (nivolumab), Opdivo Qvantig (nivolumab and hyaluronidase-nvhy), Orencia (abatacept), Yervoy (ipilimumab), Reblozyl (luspatercept-aamt), Breyanzi (lisocabtagene maraleucel), Opdualag (nivolumab and relatlimab-rmbw), Camzyos (mavacamten), Zeposia (ozanimod), Abecma (idecabtagene vicleucel), Sotyktu (deucravacitinib), Krazati (adagrasib), and Cobenfy (xanomeline and trospium chloride). Its other growth products include Augtyro, Onureg, Inrebic, Nulojix, and Empliciti. Its legacy portfolio includes Eliquis (apixaban), Revlimid (lenalidomide), Pomalyst/Imnovid (pomalidomide), Sprycel (dasatinib), and Abraxane (paclitaxel albumin-bound particles for injectable suspension).
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Increased Holdings: Millennium Management raised its stake in Bristol Myers Squibb by over 5.8 million shares last quarter, indicating a bullish outlook for the pharmaceutical giant's future, even though this position represents less than 0.2% of its total assets.
- Stock Recovery: Bristol Myers Squibb's stock surged approximately 25% from late 2025 to early 2026, primarily driven by better-than-expected quarterly earnings and guidance, although it has recently pulled back due to uncertainties surrounding patent expirations.
- Financial Outlook: The company reiterated its full-year revenue guidance of $46 billion to $47.5 billion and adjusted earnings per share of $6.05 to $6.35 for 2026, demonstrating resilience and strategic planning in the face of a patent cliff.
- Innovation and AI Utilization: Bristol Myers Squibb is leveraging artificial intelligence to reduce costs and expedite clinical development, and while facing patent expiration challenges, its strategic measures may effectively mitigate impacts and bolster market confidence.
See More
- Increased Holdings: Millennium Management, led by Englander, raised its stake in Bristol Myers Squibb from 743,659 shares to 6,545,442 shares in Q1, adding 5.8 million shares, which, while less than 0.2% of its total assets, indicates a bullish outlook on the pharmaceutical stock.
- Price Recovery: Bristol Myers Squibb's stock surged approximately 25% from late 2025 to early 2026, driven by better-than-expected quarterly earnings and guidance, although it has pulled back recently due to patent expiration uncertainties, yet remains up about 1% year-to-date.
- Financial Outlook: The company reiterated its full-year revenue guidance of $46 billion to $47.5 billion and adjusted earnings per share of $6.05 to $6.35, demonstrating resilience and potential for growth despite facing a patent cliff.
- Strategic Mitigation: Bristol Myers Squibb is leveraging artificial intelligence to reduce costs and expedite clinical development, while also planning to create variations of Opdivo to extend patent protection, aiming to mitigate the impact of upcoming patent expirations on sales.
See More
- Dividend Yield Comparison: Pfizer boasts a forward dividend yield of 6.7%, significantly higher than Bristol Myers Squibb's 4.6%, yet concerns about Pfizer's dividend sustainability arise due to its high payout ratio of over 60%, which may hinder long-term growth.
- Dividend Growth Potential: Bristol Myers Squibb has increased its dividend for 18 consecutive years with an average growth rate of 5.3%, compared to Pfizer's 4.4%, indicating that Bristol Myers Squibb offers greater stability and sustainability in dividend growth.
- Short-term Growth Forecasts: Analysts predict a 1.4% decline in Pfizer's sales for 2023, while Bristol Myers Squibb is expected to see a 1.8% drop, suggesting that despite similar short-term earnings forecasts, Bristol Myers Squibb's dividend growth performance stands out.
- Investor Sentiment: Since January, total returns for Pfizer and Bristol Myers Squibb have been 6.1% and 3.2%, respectively; although both stocks trade at low valuations, investors remain cautious, making Bristol Myers Squibb a potentially stronger investment choice due to its advantages in dividend growth and durability.
See More
- Yield Comparison: Pfizer's current dividend yield stands at 6.7%, significantly higher than Bristol Myers Squibb's 4.6%, yet market concerns regarding Pfizer's dividend sustainability could impact its long-term investment appeal.
- Payout Ratio Analysis: Bristol Myers Squibb maintains a payout ratio of approximately 40%, which is within a healthy range, while Pfizer's exceeds 60%, nearing unsustainable levels, potentially affecting its future capital expenditures and growth prospects.
- Dividend Growth Potential: Bristol Myers Squibb has increased its dividend for 18 consecutive years with an average growth rate of 5.3%, compared to Pfizer's 16 years and 4.4%, highlighting Bristol's advantage in dividend growth, which may attract long-term investors.
- Market Performance and Outlook: Since January, total returns for Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer have been 3.2% and 6.1%, respectively, both facing similar market challenges; despite Pfizer's short-term sales forecast decline, their low valuations may present future growth opportunities.
See More
- Yield Comparison: Pfizer currently boasts a forward dividend yield of 6.7%, significantly higher than Bristol Myers Squibb's 4.6%, yet this elevated yield raises market concerns regarding Pfizer's dividend sustainability, potentially impacting its long-term investment appeal.
- Payout Ratio Analysis: With a payout ratio around 40%, Bristol Myers Squibb remains within a healthy range, while Pfizer's exceeds 60%, nearing unsustainable levels, indicating that Pfizer may face liquidity pressures in the future, affecting its ability to repay debt and invest in growth.
- Dividend Growth Potential: Bristol Myers Squibb has increased its dividend for 18 consecutive years with an average growth rate of 5.3%, compared to Pfizer's 16 years and 4.4% growth, suggesting that Bristol Myers Squibb holds stronger potential for dividend growth, appealing to long-term income-focused investors.
- Market Performance and Outlook: Since January, total returns for Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer stand at 3.2% and 6.1%, respectively, with both trading at under 9 times forward earnings; despite facing similar market challenges, Bristol Myers Squibb excels in dividend growth and durability, making it a potentially stronger investment choice.
See More
- Clinical Trial Collaboration: Arcus Biosciences has entered into a clinical trial collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb, supplying its investigational small-molecule HIF-2a inhibitor casdatifan for evaluation in the BMS-sponsored ROSETTA RCC-208 clinical trial, aimed at assessing its efficacy in advanced renal cell carcinoma.
- New Treatment Arms: The collaboration will add casdatifan combinations as two new arms of the ROSETTA RCC-208 trial, aiming to provide patients with treatment options based on HIF-2a inhibitors, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of existing therapies.
- Development Rights Retained: Under the agreement, both Arcus and Bristol Myers Squibb will retain development and commercial rights to their respective assets, ensuring independence while advancing their research agendas through this partnership.
- Strategic Development Plan: This collaboration is part of Arcus's holistic development strategy, designed to offer physicians and patients multiple treatment options, including first-line and second-line therapies, to address the treatment needs of advanced renal cell carcinoma.
See More











