Amgen Inc Stock Buy Recommendation Reiterated (AMGN)

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Amgen (Nasdaq:AMGN) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a buy with a ratings score of A . The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, notable return on equity, reasonable valuation levels, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and solid stock price performance. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• AMGN's revenue growth has slightly outpaced the industry average of 4.0%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues rose by 11.3%. This growth in revenue does not appear to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, displayed by a decline in earnings per share.
• The return on equity has improved slightly when compared to the same quarter one year prior. This can be construed as a modest strength in the organization. In comparison to the other companies in the Biotechnology industry and the overall market, AMGEN INC's return on equity significantly exceeds that of the industry average and is above that of the S&P 500.
• Even though the current debt-to-equity ratio is 1.39, it is still below the industry average, suggesting that this level of debt is acceptable within the Biotechnology industry. Even though the debt-to-equity ratio shows mixed results, the company's quick ratio of 3.28 is very high and demonstrates very strong liquidity.
• Looking at where the stock is today compared to one year ago, we find that it is not only higher, but it has also clearly outperformed the rise in the S&P 500 over the same period, despite the company's weak earnings results. Turning our attention to the future direction of the stock, it goes without saying that even the best stocks can fall in an overall down market. However, in any other environment, this stock still has good upside potential despite the fact that it has already risen in the past year.

Amgen Inc., a biotechnology medicines company, discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets human therapeutics based on advances in cellular and molecular biology for grievous illnesses primarily in the United States, Europe, and Canada. Amgen has a market cap of $65.39 billion and is part of the health care sector and drugs industry. The company has a P/E ratio of 15.2, below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are down 1.1% year to date as of the close of trading on Friday.

You can view the full Amgen Ratings Report or get investment ideas from our investment research center.

--Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff.

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For more information on Amgen Inc click any of the following:

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