Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Shares Bought by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank increased its stake in shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) by 9.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 93,954 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 8,300 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.14% of Merus worth $3,951,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merus in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $76,000. MML Investors Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merus during the third quarter worth $206,000. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd grew its position in Merus by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd now owns 5,000 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $250,000 after buying an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Merus by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 8,020 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $337,000 after buying an additional 789 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Merus in the 4th quarter valued at $347,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.14% of the company's stock.

Merus Stock Performance

NASDAQ MRUS traded down $0.22 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $44.61. The company's stock had a trading volume of 396,454 shares, compared to its average volume of 687,471. The company's 50-day moving average is $43.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.06. Merus has a fifty-two week low of $37.77 and a fifty-two week high of $61.61. The stock has a market cap of $3.08 billion, a PE ratio of -11.29 and a beta of 1.15.

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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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $9.14 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.57 million. Equities analysts expect that Merus will post -3.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MRUS shares. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $109.00 target price on shares of Merus in a report on Friday. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Merus in a research report 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. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Merus in a report on Friday, February 7th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $91.00 price target for the company. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen 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 an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $85.31.

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.