Amgen Inc (AMGN): Today's Featured Drugs Winner

Editor's Note: Any reference to TheStreet Ratings and its underlying recommendation does not reflect the opinion of TheStreet, Inc. or any of its contributors including Jim Cramer or Stephanie Link.

Amgen ( AMGN) pushed the Drugs industry higher today making it today's featured drugs winner. The industry as a whole closed the day up 0.5%. By the end of trading, Amgen rose $1.83 (1.7%) to $111.20 on average volume. Throughout the day, 3,822,646 shares of Amgen exchanged hands as compared to its average daily volume of 3,348,800 shares. The stock ranged in a price between $109.40-$111.30 after having opened the day at $109.92 as compared to the previous trading day's close of $109.37. Other companies within the Drugs industry that increased today were: Vanda Pharmaceuticals ( VNDA), up 44.2%, Reliv' International ( RELV), up 32.7%, Inovio Pharmaceuticals ( INO), up 29.0% and GW Pharmaceuticals PLC ADR ( GWPH), up 16.5%.

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Amgen Inc., a biotechnology medicines company, engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and marketing of human therapeutic products in the areas of supportive cancer care, inflammation, nephrology, and bone diseases primarily in the United States, Europe, and Canada. Amgen has a market cap of $82.2 billion and is part of the health care sector. Shares are up 27.1% year to date as of the close of trading on Monday. Currently there are 8 analysts that rate Amgen a buy, no analysts rate it a sell, and 13 rate it a hold.

TheStreet Ratings rates Amgen as a buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, notable return on equity, attractive valuation levels, expanding profit margins and good cash flow from operations. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had generally high debt management risk by most measures that we evaluated.

You can view the full Amgen Ratings Report.

On the negative front, Mast Therapeutics ( MSTX), down 37.8%, Biocryst Pharmaceuticals ( BCRX), down 9.1%, Prana Biotechnology ( PRAN), down 8.1% and BioDelivery Sciences International ( BDSI), down 7.8% , were all laggards within the drugs industry with Santarus ( SNTS) being today's drugs industry laggard.

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For investors not wanting singular stock exposure, ETFs may be of interest. Investors who are bullish on the drugs industry could consider SPDR S&P Pharmaceuticals ETF ( XPH) while those bearish on the drugs industry could consider ProShares UltraShort Nasdaq Biotech ( BIS).