Characterize the news's sentiment using the following options.
Options: positive, negative

Shares of Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) stepped higher following the release of its Q4 earnings report showing an EPS beat and a slight miss on sales. The company reported, on a GAAP basis, a 2% decrease year-over-year in total operating expenses with a full year increase of 13% “primarily driven by the acquisition of Five Prime Therapeutics.
positive