Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) Shares Purchased by BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp

BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp raised its holdings in Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN - Free Report) by 15.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 102,891 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 13,385 shares during the period. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp's holdings in Amgen were worth $26,818,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AMGN. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Amgen during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE increased its position in Amgen by 66.2% during the fourth quarter. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE now owns 128 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Amgen during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in Amgen in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Amgen in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 76.50% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Amgen Price Performance

Amgen stock opened at $271.34 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.62. Amgen Inc. has a 52-week low of $253.30 and a 52-week high of $346.85. The firm has a market cap of $145.90 billion, a PE ratio of 35.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.51. The company's 50 day moving average is $288.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $287.36.

Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The medical research company reported $4.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.18 by $0.72. Amgen had a return on equity of 176.32% and a net margin of 12.24%. The business had revenue of $8.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.05 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.96 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Amgen Inc. will post 20.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Amgen Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $2.38 dividend. This represents a $9.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Amgen's payout ratio is presently 86.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on AMGN shares. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Amgen in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com upgraded Amgen from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Sunday. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "equal weight" rating on shares of Amgen in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Guggenheim assumed coverage on Amgen in a research report on Tuesday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $288.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Amgen from $329.00 to $328.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Amgen has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $309.22.

Insider Transactions at Amgen

In other news, EVP David M. Reese sold 25,225 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.44, for a total value of $7,679,499.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 36,922 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,240,533.68. This trade represents a 40.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

About Amgen

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.

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