KBC Group NV Boosts Stake in Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS)

KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) by 4,583.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 57,234 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after acquiring an additional 56,012 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned 0.08% of Merus worth $2,407,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merus during the fourth quarter worth approximately $76,000. nVerses Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merus by 750.0% in the 3rd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,700 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE purchased a new position in shares of Merus in the 3rd quarter valued at $103,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Merus by 24.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,467 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $118,000 after acquiring an additional 489 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC acquired a new position in Merus in the third quarter valued at $206,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.14% of the company's stock.

Merus Trading Up 2.7 %

Shares of MRUS traded up $1.09 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $41.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 241,133 shares, compared to its average volume of 622,232. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $42.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.86. Merus has a 1-year low of $35.44 and a 1-year high of $61.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.85 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.55 and a beta of 1.11.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on MRUS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Merus in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup increased their price objective on Merus from $89.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of Merus in a report on Monday, December 9th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $109.00 price objective (down from $111.00) on shares of Merus in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of Merus in a report on Monday, December 2nd. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $85.64.

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.