Amgen Inc. $AMGN Holdings Reduced by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. lessened its holdings in Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 352,483 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 10,502 shares during the quarter. Amgen makes up approximately 0.7% of Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Amgen were worth $149,118,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rational Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Amgen by 13.7% during the second quarter. Rational Advisors Inc. now owns 199 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Amgen by 2.0% in the second quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC now owns 1,274 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $461,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. James T. Borello RIA increased its stake in Amgen by 13.6% in the third quarter. James T. Borello RIA now owns 209 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Sweeney & Michel LLC increased its stake in Amgen by 0.5% in the third quarter. Sweeney & Michel LLC now owns 5,129 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,162,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Amgen by 0.8% during the second quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 3,407 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,234,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. 76.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Amgen Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMGN opened at $460.42 on Friday. Amgen Inc. has a 52 week low of $312.39 and a 52 week high of $483.99. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $422.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $378.19. The company has a market cap of $249.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.71, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.60.

Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The medical research company reported $6.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.79 by $0.66. Amgen had a return on equity of 114.99% and a net margin of 24.14%. The firm had revenue of $10.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $5.64 earnings per share. Amgen’s revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Amgen Inc. will post 23.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Amgen Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 20th will be issued a $2.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 20th. This represents a $10.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Amgen’s dividend payout ratio is 58.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Amgen

In other Amgen news, SVP Rachna Khosla sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $412.57, for a total transaction of $825,140.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 6,404 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,642,098.28. This trade represents a 23.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.85% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Amgen

Here are the key news stories impacting Amgen this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Amgen reported quarterly earnings and revenue above expectations, with revenue up 8.5% year over year. Its earnings-call discussion also emphasized growth and pipeline momentum, supporting the case for continued expansion. Amgen Earnings Call Highlights Growth, Pipeline Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: A large real-world study found Repatha lowered heart-attack risk by 20% versus ezetimibe in patients with heart disease. The findings could strengthen the drug’s clinical and commercial position. Repatha real-world study
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank reiterated a Buy view and set a $530 price target; UBS also maintains a Buy rating with a $530 target. Separately, ETFs bought a net $79.8 million of AMGN shares in Wednesday’s session. Scotiabank price target ETF holdings
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinions remain divided: Leerink Partners and Guggenheim have Hold/neutral ratings, while Scotiabank and UBS are more optimistic. The differing views suggest debate about how much of Amgen’s recent gains are already reflected in its valuation. Leerink Partners rating
• Negative Sentiment: Freedom Broker downgraded Amgen to Hold, adding to the cautious analyst commentary and potentially tempering enthusiasm after the recent rally. Freedom Broker downgrade

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AMGN. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Amgen from $359.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Amgen from $430.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Amgen in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $410.00 price objective on shares of Amgen in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Amgen from $450.00 to $415.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, eighteen have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $420.80.

Amgen Profile

Amgen is a biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines for serious illnesses. Its research and product portfolio span areas including cancer, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, bone health and rare diseases.

The company’s medicines include Enbrel, Prolia, Xgeva and Repatha. Amgen serves patients and healthcare providers in the United States and markets its products internationally.

Founded in 1980 and headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California, Amgen is led by Robert A.