SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN)

SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC cut its holdings in Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) by 15.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,298 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 3,085 shares during the quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Amgen were worth $4,248,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Amgen in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Hershey Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Amgen in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Amgen in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Matrix Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Amgen during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in shares of Amgen during the 3rd quarter worth about $56,000. 76.50% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Amgen Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMGN opened at $267.10 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $277.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $308.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.55. The stock has a market cap of $143.58 billion, a PE ratio of 34.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.56. Amgen Inc. has a twelve month low of $253.30 and a twelve month high of $346.85.

Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The medical research company reported $5.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.11 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $8.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.50 billion. Amgen had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 168.35%. Amgen’s revenue was up 23.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.96 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Amgen Inc. will post 19.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Amgen Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $2.38 dividend. This represents a $9.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This is an increase from Amgen’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. Amgen’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 121.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $405.00 price objective on shares of Amgen in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. StockNews.com cut Amgen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Amgen from $335.00 to $326.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Amgen in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Amgen in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $380.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $314.91.

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.