Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) have received an average recommendation of “Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $85.31.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on MRUS shares. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Merus in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on shares of Merus from $85.00 to $83.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 28th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Merus in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Merus from $89.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th.

Merus Stock Up 3.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ MRUS opened at $49.16 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $42.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.42. The company has a market cap of $3.40 billion, a PE ratio of -12.45 and a beta of 1.15. Merus has a twelve month low of $37.77 and a twelve month high of $61.61.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.89) by $0.48. Merus had a negative return on equity of 38.89% and a negative net margin of 680.61%. The company had revenue of $9.14 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.57 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Merus will post -3.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Merus

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Boxer Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merus during the 4th quarter worth $79,895,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Merus by 73.6% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,887,514 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $144,260,000 after acquiring an additional 1,224,573 shares in the last quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Merus by 56.8% during the fourth quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,125,000 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $89,356,000 after acquiring an additional 770,000 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merus by 10.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,873,926 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $343,421,000 after acquiring an additional 648,994 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP acquired a new stake in shares of Merus in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,399,000. 96.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merus Company 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.