Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Shares Acquired by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) by 21.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,497,653 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after acquiring an additional 610,139 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP owned about 5.06% of Merus worth $147,076,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merus in the fourth quarter worth about $76,000. MML Investors Services LLC purchased a new position in Merus in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $206,000. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd grew its position in Merus by 10.4% in the third quarter. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd now owns 5,000 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $250,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Merus by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 8,020 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $337,000 after purchasing an additional 789 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merus during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $347,000. 96.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MRUS shares. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Merus in a report on Friday, February 7th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $91.00 price target for the company. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on Merus from $85.00 to $83.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Merus from $73.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 10th. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Merus in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Merus in a report on Friday, February 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $85.31.

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Merus Stock Performance

Shares of Merus stock traded up $0.53 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $37.92. The company's stock had a trading volume of 202,869 shares, compared to its average volume of 682,831. Merus has a one year low of $35.01 and a one year high of $61.61. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $43.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.62. The stock has a market cap of $2.62 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.60 and a beta of 1.02.

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