Bristol Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE: BMY) has performed well lately, with the stock up +22% in the last year. It’s also up +6.41% year-to-date against the Dow’s -0.1% and S&P 500’s -0.9% numbers. But according to Wall Street insiders, BMY stock has little more room to run. Of Thomson/First Call’s 17 analysts, its highest price target is $30, with shares around $27 right now and up against a new 52-week high. BMY’s second quarter net sales were $4.8 billion, 2% increase compared to the same period in 2009. That certainly was aided by advertising, marketing, selling and administrative cuts of 15% — and with not much left to cut, profits may not be moving up soon.

Laying claim to being first company to mass-produce penicillin and today the largest manufacturer and distributor of psychiatric medications, Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE: LLY) is seeing some bearish trends of late. LLY has lost -4.5% during the past month and is currently trading above its 20-day, 50-day and 200-day moving averages. But most analysts are giving LLY a hold for now. At $35 or so per share, it’s trading at only 5% off its analyst value, according to Thomson/First Call. And that target of $37.31 is actually under LLY’s 52-week high. At least the company is standing firm, however,  beating expectations with a profit of $1.24 per share in its second quarter earnings – 14 cents above analyst consensus of $1.10 per share. Its net income also grew 16% in the second quarter compared to 2009.

The global pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline Plc (NYSE: GSK), headquartered in London, is the third largest pharmaceutical company worldwide  in terms of revenues (after J&J and Pfizer). It could be a pharma stock to watch, since at present GSK is down -6.18% year-to-date against a flat Dow and S&P. The average analyst target is +10% above current stock valuations, though most analysts are listing it as a hold for the moment. Still, GSK global profits are climbing once again, some +18%, despite a -13% drop in U.S. sales in its recent quarter. The stock has risen +8% since July and could be headed higher. However, it’s worth noting that the median price target from Thomson/First Call is a bit lower than the top end of GSK’s 52-week range.

Founded in 1886, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) is proud of its reputation. The company is listed among the Fortune 500 and consistently ranks at the top of Harris Interactive’s National Corporate Reputation Survey. But like most of its peers, the American company is coming off a bad 2009 and struggling to get going again. Year to date, JNJ is down -7% against the Dow’s -0.1% and S&P 500’s -0.9%. It’s recently been hit with bad PR with the FDA finding a plant ignored consumer complaints about medicine mix-ups. Add to that second quarter sales that were nearly flat – increasing +0.6% — and it’s no surprise shares are sluggish. But perhaps there is some light on the horizon. Of Thomson/First Call’s 18 analyst price target rankings, its highest is listed as $90 – a significant upside if hit. Recent movement also has pushed many analysts to rank JNJ as a buy.

Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) is faring a little better than its competitors these days, though certainly not due to its performance numbers. It recently saw a -52% decline in second-quarter profit, as merger-related and restructuring costs more than offset a near doubling in sales – the result of the takeover of Schering-Plough. Merck has tightened its 2010 forecast earnings excluding items to a range that still retains the mean estimate of analysts. With a median price target of $42 according to Thomson/First Call, MRK is 15% below that at its current stock valuation. Looking ahead, it has pledged to achieve annual cost savings of some $3.5 billion by 2012 as a result of the Schering merger. And with a 52-week range topping out at $41.56, the $42 target may in fact hold very reasonable.

Switzerland-based Novartis (NYSE: NVS)  is the sixth-largest pharmaceutical company in terms of revenue. At -1% 2010 returns, it’s on par with its competitors in relation to year-to-date numbers when compared to the Dow and S&P 500. But sales figures looked strong last quarter, with profits rising +18%. Strong demand for new products offset drug price cuts in Europe and helped improve margins. Novartis also raised its sales outlook for the year as it benefited from growing cancer drug sales and generics. In the last three months NVS has risen +13% and it’s currently listed as a strong buy. According to Thomson/First Call, the median target is about +10% above of its current stock valuation of $54.

Ranking #1 in sales in the world, Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) is a mixed company. It pleaded guilty in 2009 to the largest health care fraud in U.S. history, receiving the largest criminal penalty ever levied for illegal marketing. At the same time, the company’s research and development strength remains strong. But PFE stock hasn’t seen great numbers since the late 1990s. It’s down -7.33% year-to-date, worse than the market and most competitors. Analyst opinion is optimistic, however, with a high-end estimate among Thomson/First Call’s 16 analysts topping out at $30 – nearly double current pricing. The median price target of $20 is +19% above current Pfizer stock value. And that may easily be doable. PFE has risen +14% since its second quarter earnings report, noting it earned $2.48 billion, or 31 cents a share, compared with $2.26 billion, or 34 cents a share, for the same period in 2009.

Headquartered in Paris, Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE: SNY) is the world’s fourth-largest pharmaceutical company by prescription sales. Is one of the worst major pharma stocks of 2010, down -21.23% year-to-date against the Dow’s -0.1% and S&P 500’s -0.9%. that may be an opportunity for investors, however, and in the last 5 days of trading, it’s increased some +5%. According to Thomson/First Call, its $31 share value has a  +30% upside to the median target of $41.50. And since its net profit was up +17% in its second quarter sales report, growth opportunities may be out there for investors in SNY shares.