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

Shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) have received a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $85.64.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Merus in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group assumed coverage on Merus in a report on Thursday, October 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $72.00 price objective on the stock. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $109.00 target price (down previously from $111.00) on shares of Merus in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Merus in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, 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.

Merus Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of MRUS opened at $42.05 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $46.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $50.43. Merus has a 12-month low of $27.11 and a 12-month high of $61.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.65 and a beta of 1.07.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The biotechnology company reported ($0.95) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.11 million. Equities research analysts expect that Merus will post -3.89 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Merus

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in Merus by 30.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 40,633 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $2,404,000 after buying an additional 9,488 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in Merus by 41.0% in the second quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 8,847 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $523,000 after buying an additional 2,572 shares during the period. Nicholas Investment Partners LP acquired a new stake in Merus during the 2nd quarter worth $4,763,000. First Turn Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merus during the 2nd quarter worth $19,047,000. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. raised its position in shares of Merus by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,398,800 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $141,937,000 after acquiring an additional 150,000 shares during the last quarter. 96.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merus Company 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.