Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Holdings Lifted by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) by 17.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 84,200 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,212 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 0.12% of Merus worth $4,207,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRUS. nVerses Capital LLC grew its stake in Merus by 750.0% in the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,700 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE acquired a new position in shares of Merus in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $103,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Merus by 24.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,467 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $118,000 after acquiring an additional 489 shares during the last quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merus in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $237,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merus during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $242,000. 96.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merus Stock Up 3.3 %

Merus stock traded up $1.38 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $42.83. 416,827 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 681,367. Merus has a 1-year low of $24.07 and a 1-year high of $61.61. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $49.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $51.66.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $11.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.11 million. Merus had a negative net margin of 680.61% and a negative return on equity of 38.89%. On average, analysts expect that Merus will post -3.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Merus in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $72.00 target price for the company. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Merus from $89.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Merus in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a "buy" rating and a $73.00 target price for the company. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $109.00 price target (down previously from $111.00) on shares of Merus in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Merus has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $85.64.

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.