Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Receives Buy Rating from Needham & Company LLC

Needham & Company LLC restated their buy rating on shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. Needham & Company LLC currently has a $83.00 price target on the biotechnology company's stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $109.00 target price on shares of Merus in a report on Friday, March 28th. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Merus in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $84.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Merus from $73.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 10th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Merus in a research report on Friday, February 7th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $91.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merus presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $85.31.

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Merus Stock Performance

MRUS traded down $0.67 on Wednesday, reaching $41.30. The company had a trading volume of 137,467 shares, compared to its average volume of 712,377. The stock has a market cap of $2.85 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.46 and a beta of 1.02. Merus has a fifty-two week low of $33.19 and a fifty-two week high of $61.61. The company's fifty day moving average is $43.65 and its 200 day moving average is $45.23.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 company had revenue of $9.14 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 expect that Merus will post -3.85 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merus

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its position in shares of Merus by 27.3% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,400 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Parkman Healthcare Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Merus by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Parkman Healthcare Partners LLC now owns 45,680 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,921,000 after acquiring an additional 331 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in Merus by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 113,056 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $4,754,000 after acquiring an additional 416 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Merus by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 52,636 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $2,213,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Merus by 2,153.6% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 631 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 603 shares during the last quarter. 96.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.