Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) Stock Holdings Lessened by Great Lakes Advisors LLC

Great Lakes Advisors LLC lowered its stake in Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) by 57.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 136,289 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 183,632 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC’s holdings in Amgen were worth $35,522,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AMGN. Swedbank AB grew its position in Amgen by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 538,899 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $173,639,000 after purchasing an additional 5,751 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Amgen during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Tyler Stone Wealth Management grew its position in Amgen by 160.6% during the 3rd quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 959 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 591 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Amgen during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $245,000. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in Amgen during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $57,000. Institutional investors own 76.50% of the company’s stock.

Amgen Price Performance

Shares of AMGN stock opened at $318.89 on Wednesday. Amgen Inc. has a 1 year low of $253.30 and a 1 year high of $346.85. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $288.66 and its 200-day moving average is $299.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $171.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.24, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.62.

Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The medical research company reported $5.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.04 by $0.27. Amgen had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 176.32%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Amgen Inc. will post 20.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Amgen Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $2.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $9.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.99%. Amgen’s dividend payout ratio is currently 126.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $380.00 price objective on shares of Amgen in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of Amgen from $305.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating on shares of Amgen in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Amgen in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Amgen in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $314.04.

Insider Activity at Amgen

In related news, EVP Murdo Gordon sold 8,771 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $294.79, for a total value of $2,585,603.09. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,186 shares in the company, valued at $13,025,590.94. This represents a 16.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Jonathan P. Graham sold 25,045 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $293.12, for a total transaction of $7,341,190.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 28,987 shares in the company, valued at $8,496,669.44. This represents a 46.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 69,341 shares of company stock worth $20,644,335 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Amgen Company Profile

Amgen Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, and delivers human therapeutics worldwide. The company's principal products include Enbrel to treat plaque psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis; Otezla for the treatment of adult patients with plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and oral ulcers associated with Behçet's disease; Prolia to treat postmenopausal women with osteoporosis; XGEVA for skeletal-related events prevention; Repatha, which reduces the risks of myocardial infarction, stroke, and coronary revascularization; Nplate for the treatment of patients with immune thrombocytopenia; KYPROLIS to treat patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma; Aranesp to treat a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells and anemia; EVENITY for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal for men and women; Vectibix to treat patients with wild-type RAS metastatic colorectal cancer; BLINCYTO for the treatment of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia; TEPEZZA to treat thyroid eye disease; and KRYSTEXXA for the treatment of chronic refractory gout.