Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) Cut to “Hold” at Freedom Broker

Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN – Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Freedom Broker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $470.00 price target on the medical research company’s stock, up from their prior price target of $450.00. Freedom Broker‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 2.08% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Amgen from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Amgen from $452.00 to $531.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Amgen from $345.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Argus upped their target price on Amgen from $375.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $410.00 price target on shares of Amgen in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Amgen currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $420.80.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Amgen

Amgen Trading Up 0.0%

AMGN stock traded up $0.14 during trading on Friday, hitting $460.42. The company had a trading volume of 2,579,312 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,763,988. Amgen has a 52-week low of $312.39 and a 52-week high of $483.99. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $421.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $377.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $248.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.71, a PEG ratio of 3.47 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 – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The medical research company reported $6.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.79 by $0.66. The company had revenue of $10.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.07 billion. Amgen had a net margin of 24.14% and a return on equity of 114.99%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.64 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Amgen will post 23.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Amgen

In other news, SVP Rachna Khosla sold 1,252 shares of Amgen stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $416.43, for a total value of $521,370.36. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 6,404 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,666,817.72. This trade represents a 16.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.85% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Amgen

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Amgen by 4.8% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 49,362,016 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $17,874,974,000 after purchasing an additional 2,261,544 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Amgen by 38.2% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 42,205,243 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $15,283,363,000 after purchasing an additional 11,656,755 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Amgen by 12.7% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,390,910 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,952,156,000 after buying an additional 605,928 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Amgen in the 2nd quarter worth $1,831,903,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in Amgen by 15.2% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,890,189 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,408,715,000 after buying an additional 512,883 shares in the last quarter. 76.50% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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

Amgen Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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Analyst Recommendations for Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN)

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