Gilead Sciences Inc. Purchases New Position in Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS)

Gilead Sciences Inc. purchased a new position in Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 452,527 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $19,029,000. Merus makes up 1.2% of Gilead Sciences Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Gilead Sciences Inc. owned about 0.66% of Merus as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRUS. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Merus by 21.1% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,497,653 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $147,076,000 after purchasing an additional 610,139 shares during the period. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC lifted its stake in Merus by 83.0% in the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 723,988 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $36,171,000 after acquiring an additional 328,316 shares during the last quarter. Affinity Asset Advisors LLC grew its position in Merus by 140.7% in the fourth quarter. Affinity Asset Advisors LLC now owns 389,241 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $16,368,000 after acquiring an additional 227,500 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc acquired a new position in shares of Merus during the 4th quarter worth $7,569,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merus by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,256,504 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $117,722,000 after purchasing an additional 150,341 shares in the last quarter. 96.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $109.00 price target on shares of Merus in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Merus from $73.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Merus in a report on Friday, February 7th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $91.00 price objective for the company. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Merus in a report on Friday, February 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.31.

Merus Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ MRUS traded down $0.28 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $42.93. The company had a trading volume of 1,026,590 shares, compared to its average volume of 717,366. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.97 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.87 and a beta of 1.02. Merus has a 1-year low of $33.19 and a 1-year high of $61.61. The firm's 50 day moving average is $43.94 and its 200-day moving average is $44.92.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.41) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.89) by $0.48. The firm had revenue of $9.14 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.57 million. Merus had a negative return on equity of 38.89% and a negative net margin of 680.61%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Merus will post -3.85 earnings per share for the current year.

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.