Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Brokerages

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) has earned an average rating of “Buy” from the sixteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $85.31.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Merus in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Merus from $89.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Merus in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Bank of America reduced their price target on Merus from $73.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started 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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Merus

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MRUS. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merus during the 4th quarter worth about $1,318,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in Merus during the 4th quarter worth approximately $60,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Merus by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 98,744 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $4,152,000 after acquiring an additional 14,544 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its stake in Merus by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 1,188,518 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $49,977,000 after acquiring an additional 3,593 shares during the period. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merus during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $817,000. 96.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merus Stock Up 3.3 %

NASDAQ MRUS opened at $49.16 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $3.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.45 and a beta of 1.15. Merus has a twelve month low of $37.77 and a twelve month high of $61.61. The business’s fifty day moving average is $42.71 and its 200 day moving average is $46.42.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $9.14 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.57 million. On average, research analysts anticipate 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.