BNP Paribas Financial Markets Raises Stake in Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) by 13.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 194,554 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 23,710 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.28% of Merus worth $9,720,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MRUS. nVerses Capital LLC increased its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE purchased a new position in 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 worth $118,000 after buying an additional 489 shares during the last quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merus during the 2nd quarter valued at $237,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merus during the 2nd quarter worth $242,000. 96.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRUS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Merus in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Merus in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $73.00 target price for the company. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Merus in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $72.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Merus from $93.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $85.45.

Merus Trading Up 8.2 %

NASDAQ:MRUS traded up $3.69 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $48.53. 886,574 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 682,916. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.32 billion, a P/E ratio of -12.03 and a beta of 1.12. Merus has a 1 year low of $22.27 and a 1 year high of $61.61. The business's 50-day moving average price is $49.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $51.85.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The biotechnology company reported ($0.95) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.90) by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $11.77 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.11 million. Merus had a negative net margin of 680.61% and a negative return on equity of 38.89%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Merus will post -3.89 EPS for the current year.

About Merus

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.