Hot Biotech Stocks To Own For 2015

Hot Biotech Stocks To Own For 2015: Amgen Inc.(AMGN)

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. The company markets recombinant protein therapeutics in supportive cancer care, nephrology, and inflammation. Its principal products include Aranesp and EPOGEN erythropoietic-stimulating agents that stimulate the production of red blood cells; Neulasta and NEUPOGEN to stimulate the production of neutrophils, which is a type of white blood cell that helps the body to fight infections; and Enbrel, an inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor that plays a role in the body?s response to inflammatory diseases. The company also markets other products comprising Sensipar/Mimpara, a small molecule calcimimetic that lowers serum calcium levels; Vectibix, a monoclonal antibody that binds specifically to the epidermal growth factor receptor; and Nplate, a thrombopoietin (TPO) receptor agonist that mimics endogenous TPO, the primary driver of platelet production. In addition, it provides Denosumab, a human monoclonal antibody that targets RANKL, an essential regulator of osteoclasts. Further, the company offers product candidates in mid-to-late stage development in a variety of therapeutic areas, including oncology, hematology, inflammation, bone, nephrology, cardiovascular, and general medicine consisting of neurology. It markets its products to healthcare providers, including physicians or their clinics, dialysis centers, hospitals, and pharmacies; consumers; and wholesale distributors of pharmaceutical products. The company has various collaborative arrangements with Pfizer Inc.; GlaxoSmithKline plc; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited; Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited; Array BioPharma Inc.; Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co. Ltd.; and Cytokinetics,! Inc. Amgen Inc. was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sheila Dang]

  Halozyme's return on equity and assets are consistently in the red, ending at about -109% in return on equity in 2012, and -82% in return on assets in 2013. The company's competitors in biotechnology, such as Novo Nordisk (NVO) and Amgen Inc. (AMGN), post much more favorable return percentages. Yet, Halozyme's revenue, EBITDA and EPS growth percentages are much higher than the industry median, with Halozyme's revenue growth being higher than 97% of the global biotechnology industry.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  RBC Capital Market’s Michael Yee offers four reasons why Amgen (AMGN) won’t split itself in two:

  Steve Remich

  Investors have asked if activism and a potential strategy to split up the company into a “legacy” biz (EPO, etc) and “new products” biz (pipeline) could create significantly more shareholder value. We strongly believe this won’t gain traction and while it has been considered, mgmt has current little interest because 1) unlike pharma, Amgen’s commercial portfolio is quite concentrated (basically EPO, G-CSF, Enbrel), 2) commercial infrastructure can’t be split off and is needed to launch new products (PCSK9, migraine, osteoporosis, etc), 3) based on our understanding, including from Amgen finance/tax advisors, legacy biz if split off could see a higher estimated 30-35% tax rate than the current corporate reported rate of 15-18%, thus actually resulting in possible dilution, 4) unlike AbbVie’s (ABBV) Humira which is still growing nicely, Amgen’s legacy biz is basically flat to declining and consensus has it down 5% annual ly which doesn’t make it that attractive vs, say, Humira, 5) “pipeline” biz alone would be burdened with debt to fund significant R&D.

  But don’t worry–Yee still thinks Amge! n’s! shares are heading higher. that’s because it’s pipeline is better than many investors think, while it’s valuation–Amgen trades at 15.5 times forward earnings–makes it attractive. As a result, he raised his price target to $150 from $138.

  Shares of Amgen have gained 0.4% to $138.40 at 1:09 p.m., while AbbVie has dropped 0.5% to $55.63.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  On a quiet day for big biotech, shares of Celgene have fallen 0.2% to $94.73 at 10:58 a.m., while Amgen (AMGN) has gained 0.1% to $138.69, Gilead Sciences (GILD) has dipped 0.1% to $109.33, Biogen Idec (BIIB) has dropped 0.7% to $34167 and Regeneron (REGN) is off 0.9% at $358.76.

• [By Sean Williams]

  While a pillar in the multiple myeloma treatment landscape, it's possible that Revlimid could be facing competition from Amgen's (NASDAQ: AMGN  ) Kyprolis in a second-line indication if approved by the FDA in the U.S. and European Medicines Agency overseas. Also, AbbVie's (NYSE: ABBV  ) and Bristol-Myers Squibb's (NYSE: BMY  ) elotuzumab could pose a problem as a second-line therapy. Though elotuzumab is given in combination with Revlimid and a low-dose dexamethasone, going from a Revlimid-based maintenance therapy to something where Celgene is now splitting revenue as a combo therapy could slow its growth potential in the advanced multiple myeloma setting considerably. Also keep in mind that elotuzumab received the breakthrough therapy designation from the FDA in May.  

source from Top Stocks For 2015:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-biotech-stocks-to-own-for-2015-3.html