Analysts were expecting Amgen Inc. (AMGN) [Chart - News - Analysis] to report earnings of $1.27 for last quarter, but AMGN beat expectations with actual earnings of $1.49---22 cents above the consensus estimate. AMGN also issued earnings guidance for next quarter that is above current analyst expectations.

If you compare last quarter's earnings to the $1.23 the company made per share during the same quarter a year ago, you can see that AMGN’s earnings are up this year.

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Also, if you compare AMGN's 10.73% projected earnings-per-share (EPS) growth rate for the next five years with the projected EPS growth rate of 15.80% for the Biotechnology industry as a whole during that same time frame, you can see that analysts expect AMGN to underperform the industry in the future---which is a bad sign for the stock.

Drilling down a little deeper into the Biotechnology industry, you can see how analysts believe AMGN will stack up against some of the other stocks in the industry, like Affiliated Managers Group Inc. (AMG) [Chart - News - Analysis] and Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD) [Chart - News - Analysis], in the future. Analysts believe AMG's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 12.75% while GILD's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 16.55%.

Earnings season can be a volatile time in the stock market. Check out these videos and articles to be better prepared to take advantage of the large price moves that tend to accompany earnings announcements.

- Earnings Season is Here - Find Out How to Trade It

- Using Options to Trade Earnings

- Understanding Stock Analyst Research and Recommendations

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Analysts were expecting Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD) [Chart - News - Analysis] to report earnings of $0.67 for last quarter, but GILD beat expectations with actual earnings of $0.78---11 cents above the consensus estimate.

If you compare last quarter's earnings to the $0.52 the company made per share during the same quarter a year ago, you can see that GILD’s earnings are up this year.

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Also, if you compare GILD's 16.55% projected earnings-per-share (EPS) growth rate for the next five years with the projected EPS growth rate of 15.85% for the Biotechnology industry as a whole during that same time frame, you can see that analysts expect GILD to outperform the industry in the future---which is a good sign for the stock.

Drilling down a little deeper into the Biotechnology industry, you can see how analysts believe GILD will stack up against some of the other stocks in the industry, like Affiliated Managers Group Inc. (AMG) [Chart - News - Analysis] and Biogen Idec Inc. (BIIB) [Chart - News - Analysis], in the future. Analysts believe AMG's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 12.75% while BIIB's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 8.88%.

Earnings season can be a volatile time in the stock market. Check out these videos and articles to be better prepared to take advantage of the large price moves that tend to accompany earnings announcements.

- Earnings Season is Here - Find Out How to Trade It

- Using Options to Trade Earnings

- Understanding Stock Analyst Research and Recommendations

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Analysts were expecting Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AMLN) [Chart - News - Analysis] to report earnings of $-0.29 for last quarter, but AMLN beat expectations with actual earnings of $-0.19---10 cents above the consensus estimate.

If you compare last quarter's earnings to the $-0.57 the company made per share during the same quarter a year ago, you can see that AMLN’s earnings are up this year.

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Also, if you compare AMLN's 0.00% projected earnings-per-share (EPS) growth rate for the next five years with the projected EPS growth rate of 15.85% for the Biotechnology industry as a whole during that same time frame, you can see that analysts expect AMLN to underperform the industry in the future---which is a bad sign for the stock.

Drilling down a little deeper into the Biotechnology industry, you can see how analysts believe AMLN will stack up against some of the other stocks in the industry, like Affiliated Managers Group Inc. (AMG) [Chart - News - Analysis] and Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD) [Chart - News - Analysis], in the future. Analysts believe AMG's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 12.75% while GILD's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 16.55%.

Earnings season can be a volatile time in the stock market. Check out these videos and articles to be better prepared to take advantage of the large price moves that tend to accompany earnings announcements.

- Earnings Season is Here - Find Out How to Trade It

- Using Options to Trade Earnings

- Understanding Stock Analyst Research and Recommendations

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Brean Murray gave the Biotechnology industry some good news as it announced it has initiated coverage on one of its stocks.

Curis Inc. (CRIS) [Chart - News - Analysis] was given a rating of Buy on 10/8/2009---a positive sign for the stock that investors typically welcome. FYI, Brean Murray uses the following rating scale when analyzing stocks: Buy, Hold, Sell.

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Curis Inc. has an average analyst recommendation score of 1.7 and competes for investment dollars with Affiliated Managers Group Inc. (AMG) [Chart - News - Analysis] and Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD) [Chart - News - Analysis]---two other stocks in the Biotechnology industry that have average analyst recommendation scores of 1.8 and 1.7 respectively.

Analyst recommendations are averaged and scored using the following rating scale:

- 1.0 = Strong Buy

- 2.0 = Buy

- 3.0 = Hold

- 4.0 = Sell

- 5.0 = Strong Sell

Why are Upgrades and Initiations Good and Downgrades Bad?

One event that is almost certain to get a reaction from Wall Street is an analyst upgrade or downgrade. Everyone is looking for an edge in the stock market, and quite often, traders turn to stock analysts to get that edge.

Upgrades and coverage initiations are typically good for stocks because they show that analysts either believe that the stock is going to perform better in the future or that the stock is worth covering and providing analysis on.

Downgrades are typically bad for stocks because they show that analysts believe that the stock is going to perform worse in the future.

What is a Stock Analyst?

Check out the Understanding Stock Analyst Research and Recommendations video and article for more info.

A stock analysts is a person---typically employed by a large bank, investment firm or analysis company---who devotes his/her life to learning and making predictions about a company and its future performance.

Stock analysts sift through company reports and filings, talk to company management, probe customers and competitors and basically do whatever they can to find out if a company is healthy and growing or sick and shrinking. Because this is incredibly demanding work, stock analysts typically only monitor one or two companies at a time.

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