Erste Asset Management GmbH Buys 30,241 Shares of Amgen Inc. $AMGN

Key Points

• Erste Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in Amgen Inc. by 32.5%, owning 123,366 shares valued at approximately $37.9 million as of the end of the reporting period.
• Amgen reported $6.02 earnings per share for the most recent quarter, exceeding expectations of $5.28, with revenue of $9.18 billion, up 9.4% year-over-year.
• The company's quarterly dividend has been set at $2.38 per share, providing an annualized yield of 3.2%, with a payout ratio of 77.84%.

Erste Asset Management GmbH increased its position in shares of Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN - Free Report) by 32.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 123,366 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 30,241 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH's holdings in Amgen were worth $37,877,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Continuum Advisory LLC lifted its position in Amgen by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 5,154 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,343,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Amgen by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,435 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $759,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Affinity Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Amgen by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Affinity Capital Advisors LLC now owns 861 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $246,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. lifted its position in Amgen by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 2,164 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $674,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockline Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Amgen by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Rockline Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,240 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.50% of the company's stock.

Amgen Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of AMGN traded down $2.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $293.72. 1,643,970 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,104,120. Amgen Inc. has a twelve month low of $253.30 and a twelve month high of $339.17. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $293.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $293.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.24. The stock has a market cap of $158.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.49.

Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The medical research company reported $6.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.28 by $0.74. Amgen had a net margin of 18.96% and a return on equity of 174.71%. The business had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.86 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.97 EPS. Amgen's revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Amgen has set its FY 2025 guidance at 20.200-21.300 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Amgen Inc. will post 20.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Amgen Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Investors of record on Friday, August 22nd will be paid a $2.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 22nd. This represents a $9.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. Amgen's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.84%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Rachna Khosla sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.68, for a total value of $434,520.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 8,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,364,368.16. This trade represents a 15.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Nancy A. Grygiel sold 1,267 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.99, for a total transaction of $376,286.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 7,209 shares in the company, valued at $2,141,000.91. The trade was a 14.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Amgen from $330.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of Amgen in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Amgen from $235.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Amgen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Amgen from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $303.76.

Amgen 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.