Breaking News
Amgen beats third-quarter profit and sales estimates after the bell
Amgen reported after the 4 p.m. ET close that third-quarter adjusted profit, which strips out some one-time costs, and sales both beat analyst estimates. Health care funds slipped 0.3% in regular trading; Wednesday's open may show whether the results change that.
At Tuesday’s close: S&P 500 +0.36%, Nasdaq-100 +0.68%, Dow −0.38%
Quick Read
- Amgen's third-quarter adjusted profit per share and sales came in above analyst estimates, the company reported after Tuesday's close.
- Health care stocks fell during Tuesday's regular session while the S&P 500 rose, before the report was out.
- Wednesday's open is the earliest regular-session test of how the stock responds to the results.
What did Amgen report?
Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) released its third-quarter results after the 4 p.m. ET close on Tuesday. Adjusted profit per share came in above the average analyst estimate, and so did sales. Results above forecasts are called a beat.
Why it matters: Earnings per share, or EPS, is a company's profit divided by its number of shares. The adjusted version strips out certain costs the company treats as unusual. Analysts publish an average forecast for it, and a stock often moves on how far the result lands from that forecast.
The headline numbers released so far do not explain what drove the beat. They also do not show whether Amgen changed its outlook for the full year.
How did health care stocks trade on Tuesday?
The health care sector fund fell 0.3% in regular trading. The S&P 500, which tracks large U.S. companies weighted by size, rose 0.4%.
Technology did much of the lifting, with the tech sector fund up 1.3%. Consumer staples went the other way and slid 2.1%.
Amgen reported after the closing bell, once regular trading had ended. None of Tuesday's regular-session moves in health care stocks reflect its results.
Does an earnings beat mean the stock could rise?
Not necessarily. A stock trades on the gap between results and expectations, and expectations can run ahead of the published forecast.
Details beyond the headline numbers may matter as much. Sales trends for individual drugs, costs and any comment on the outlook could all shape the reaction.
The open question is whether the beat came from lasting demand or from items that may not repeat. The full report and any comments from management could help answer it.
What could come next?
What’s next: Wednesday's regular session is the earliest full trading day in which Amgen shares can reflect the report.
Broader data could move health care funds along with the rest of the market. The Labor Department publishes weekly jobless claims at 8:30 a.m. ET on Nov. 5. The October jobs report follows at 8:30 a.m. ET on Nov. 6. The October consumer price index, the monthly report on headline inflation, arrives at 8:30 a.m. ET on Nov. 10.
For readers
What it could mean for you: If you own Amgen shares directly, these results reach you in full, with no other holdings to offset them. Wednesday's trading may show how much of the beat was already built into the price. Any change Amgen made to its outlook could matter more for the stock over the coming weeks than the headline beat. If you hold Amgen only through a health care or S&P 500 fund, every other company the fund owns dilutes the effect.
Questions and answers
Did Amgen beat earnings estimates in the third quarter?
Yes. Amgen reported adjusted profit per share and sales above the average analyst estimates for the third quarter, in results released after the close on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.
What does adjusted earnings per share mean?
EPS is a company's profit divided by its number of shares. The adjusted version leaves out certain costs the company treats as unusual, and it is the figure analysts usually forecast.
When could Amgen stock react to the earnings?
Shares can trade after hours on Tuesday, but Wednesday's regular session is the earliest full trading day that can reflect the results.
The numbers
| S&P 500 change | +0.36% |
|---|---|
| 10-year Treasury yield | 4.95% |
Tuesday’s close
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The WallStreetDigest daily arrives at 6:15 a.m. ET every trading day.
Not investment advice.