Fmr LLC Increases Stake in Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS)

FMR LLC raised its position in Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) by 10.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,873,926 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 648,994 shares during the period. FMR LLC owned 10.04% of Merus worth $343,421,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Merus by 24.7% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,467 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $118,000 after purchasing an additional 489 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Merus by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 33,745 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,520,000 after acquiring an additional 936 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC increased its stake 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 worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE purchased a new position in shares of Merus during the 3rd quarter worth $103,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in shares of Merus by 41.0% during the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 8,847 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $523,000 after acquiring an additional 2,572 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.14% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on MRUS. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Merus in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Merus in a report on Friday, November 1st. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Merus in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $72.00 price target on the stock. Guggenheim raised their target price on Merus from $93.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Merus in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $85.45.

Merus Trading Down 0.3 %

Merus stock traded down $0.13 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $44.84. 267,922 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 507,158. The firm has a market cap of $3.07 billion, a PE ratio of -11.35 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $51.85. Merus has a 12-month low of $22.27 and a 12-month high of $61.61.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The biotechnology company reported ($0.95) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $11.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.11 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Merus will post -3.89 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.