Raymond James Financial Inc. Purchases Shares of 8,231 Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 8,231 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $347,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Merus by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 84,200 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $4,207,000 after acquiring an additional 12,212 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Merus in the third quarter worth about $358,000. KBC Group NV increased its stake in Merus by 4,583.6% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 57,234 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $2,407,000 after buying an additional 56,012 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its position in shares of Merus by 29.0% during the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 48,268 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $2,030,000 after buying an additional 10,842 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Merus by 7.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,256,504 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $117,722,000 after acquiring an additional 150,341 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.14% of the company's stock.

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Merus Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of MRUS traded up $0.32 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $42.75. 9,420 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 711,544. Merus has a twelve month low of $33.19 and a twelve month high of $61.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $43.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.20. The stock has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.87 and a beta of 1.02.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Merus in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Merus in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $84.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Merus in a research report on Friday, February 7th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $91.00 price objective for the company. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $83.00 price objective on shares of Merus in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Merus from $73.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $85.31.

Merus 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.