NY -- Standard&Poor's CreditWire 4/24/98 -- Standard&Poor's today assigned its preliminary triple-`A' rating to Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s filing of $1 billion Rule 415 shelf debt securities and its triple-`A' bank loan rating to the company's $250 million five-year bank revolving credit agreement and $250 million 364-day bank revolving credit agreement. Standard&Poor's affirmed its triple-`A' senior debt and long-term corporate credit ratings, and its `A-1'-plus commercial paper and short-term corporate credit ratings on Bristol-Myers. The top-tier credit profile is characterized by Bristol-Myers' position as one of the world's largest pharmaceutical firms, as well as management's conservative financial policies. The company's pharmaceutical operations, which account for about 60% of sales, anchor a relatively diverse business portfolio.
