Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Shares Gap Up - Should You Buy?

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $47.10, but opened at $48.47. Merus shares last traded at $46.90, with a volume of 16,851 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MRUS shares. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Merus in a research report on Friday, February 7th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $91.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $109.00 target price on shares of Merus in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America dropped their price target on Merus from $73.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Merus in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $85.31.

Merus Stock Down 2.2 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $3.26 billion, a PE ratio of -11.96 and a beta of 1.15. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $43.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.27.

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Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.41) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.89) by $0.48. The firm had revenue of $9.14 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.57 million. Merus had a negative net margin of 680.61% and a negative return on equity of 38.89%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Merus will post -3.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MRUS. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its holdings in Merus by 27.3% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,400 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Parkman Healthcare Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Merus by 10.4% in the third quarter. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd now owns 5,000 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $250,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Merus by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 52,636 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $2,213,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.14% of the company's stock.

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.