Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) has been named as a Top 25 ”Dividend Giant” by ETF Channel, with a staggering $3.09B worth of stock held by ETFs, and above-average ”DividendRank” statistics including a strong 2.80% yield, according to the most recent Dividend Channel ”DividendRank” report.

The report noted a strong quarterly dividend history at Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., and favorable long-term multi-year growth rates in key fundamental data points.

START SLIDESHOW:
25 Dividend Giants Widely Held By ETFs »

The annualized dividend paid by Bristol-Myers Squibb is $1.44 per share, currently paid in quarterly installments, and its most recent dividend ex-date was on 04/02/2014. Below is a long-term dividend history chart for BMY, which the report stressed as being of key importance.

Indeed, studying a company’s past dividend history can be of good help in judging whether the most recent dividend is likely to continue.