Merus’ (MRUS) Outperform Rating Reaffirmed at William Blair

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reiterated by equities research analysts at William Blair in a note issued to investors on Friday,RTT News reports.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Merus in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Merus from $89.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Merus in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Merus in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler began coverage on Merus in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $84.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $85.77.

Merus Trading Up 1.5 %

MRUS stock traded up $0.70 during trading on Friday, hitting $46.92. The company had a trading volume of 239,121 shares, compared to its average volume of 608,996. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.89 and a beta of 1.11. The business has a 50 day moving average of $41.93 and a 200 day moving average of $46.83. Merus has a fifty-two week low of $37.77 and a fifty-two week high of $61.61.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $10.57 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Merus will post -3.85 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merus

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Merus in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,318,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in Merus in the fourth quarter worth approximately $60,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in Merus by 17.3% during 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 valued at $4,152,000 after acquiring an additional 14,544 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted 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 last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in Merus in the fourth quarter worth approximately $817,000. 96.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.