Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Shares Up 5.1% - Still a Buy?

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 5.1% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $44.48 and last traded at $44.40. 452,918 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 28% from the average session volume of 352,633 shares. The stock had previously closed at $42.23.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on MRUS. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $109.00 price objective (down previously from $111.00) on shares of Merus in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday, December 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Merus in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Merus from $89.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.64.

Merus Stock Up 3.8 %

The stock's 50 day moving average is $45.30 and its 200-day moving average is $49.96. The company has a market cap of $3.00 billion, a PE ratio of -11.10 and a beta of 1.10.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Merus

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of MRUS. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of Merus by 30.5% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 40,633 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $2,404,000 after purchasing an additional 9,488 shares during the last quarter. Nicholas Investment Partners LP purchased a new position in Merus during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,763,000. First Turn Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merus during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $19,047,000. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its holdings in Merus by 6.7% in the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,398,800 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $141,937,000 after purchasing an additional 150,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Seven Eight Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Merus in the second quarter worth about $1,398,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.14% of the company's stock.

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.