Analysts Set Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Target Price at $85.64

Shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Buy" from the fourteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $85.64.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $109.00 price target (down previously from $111.00) on shares of Merus in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Citigroup lifted their price target on Merus from $89.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Merus in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Merus in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Merus in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $72.00 target price for the company.

Institutional Trading of Merus

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MRUS. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC boosted its stake in Merus by 83.0% during the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 723,988 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $36,171,000 after acquiring an additional 328,316 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Merus by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,256,504 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $117,722,000 after buying an additional 150,341 shares during the last quarter. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd increased its position in Merus by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd now owns 5,000 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $250,000 after buying an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC purchased a new position in Merus during the third quarter valued at $206,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Merus by 73.6% in 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. 96.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merus Stock Performance

Shares of Merus stock traded down $1.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $42.07. 309,800 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 681,098. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $50.79. The company has a market capitalization of $2.88 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.65 and a beta of 1.07. Merus has a 12 month low of $27.11 and a 12 month high of $61.61.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The biotechnology company reported ($0.95) earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.11 million. Analysts predict that Merus will post -3.89 EPS 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.