4,122 Shares in Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Bought by MML Investors Services LLC

MML Investors Services LLC acquired a new position in Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 4,122 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $206,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRUS. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Merus by 73.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,887,514 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $144,260,000 after purchasing an additional 1,224,573 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Merus during the 3rd quarter valued at about $358,000. Holocene Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Merus by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 1,637,988 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $81,834,000 after purchasing an additional 64,122 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its position in Merus by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 42,746 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $2,136,000 after buying an additional 6,071 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in Merus by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 84,200 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $4,207,000 after buying an additional 12,212 shares during the last quarter. 96.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Merus in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $109.00 target price (down from $111.00) on shares of Merus in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on Merus in a report on Thursday, October 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $72.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $85.64.

Merus Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ MRUS opened at $43.10 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.91 and a beta of 1.07. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $47.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $50.92. Merus has a 52-week low of $27.11 and a 52-week high of $61.61.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The biotechnology company reported ($0.95) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.90) by ($0.05). Merus had a negative net margin of 680.61% and a negative return on equity of 38.89%. The company had revenue of $11.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.11 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Merus will post -3.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merus Profile

Merus N.V., a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company, engages in the development of antibody therapeutics in the Netherlands. Its bispecific antibody candidate pipeline includes Zenocutuzumab (MCLA-128), which is in a phase 2 clinical trials for the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer and castration-resistant prostate cancer, as well as in Phase 1/2 clinical trials for the treatment of solid tumors that harbor Neuregulin 1.