Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Acquires 4,385 Shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) by 49.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,232 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,385 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Merus were worth $661,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. nVerses Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Merus by 750.0% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE purchased a new stake in Merus in the third quarter worth about $103,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Merus by 24.7% in the third 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 period. Farallon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merus during the 2nd quarter valued at about $237,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Merus in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $242,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.14% of the company’s stock.

Merus Stock Performance

MRUS stock opened at $44.65 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $49.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.80. Merus has a fifty-two week low of $22.27 and a fifty-two week high of $61.61. The firm has a market cap of $3.06 billion, a PE ratio of -11.30 and a beta of 1.07.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The biotechnology company reported ($0.95) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.90) by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $11.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.11 million. Merus had a negative return on equity of 38.89% and a negative net margin of 680.61%. On average, equities analysts predict that Merus will post -3.89 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MRUS shares. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Merus in a report on Monday, December 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Merus in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $73.00 target price for the company. UBS Group began coverage on Merus in a report on Thursday, October 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $72.00 price target on the stock. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $109.00 price objective (down previously from $111.00) on shares of Merus in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $85.27.

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.