Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) have received an average rating of “Buy” from the sixteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $85.31.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on MRUS shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Merus from $89.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on shares of Merus from $85.00 to $83.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 28th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $109.00 price target on shares of Merus in a report on Friday, March 28th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Merus in a research report on Friday, February 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $91.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Merus in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $84.00 target price on the stock.

Merus Stock Performance

NASDAQ MRUS opened at $38.11 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $44.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.72. Merus has a one year low of $36.46 and a one year high of $61.61. The firm has a market cap of $2.63 billion, a PE ratio of -9.65 and a beta of 1.02.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.57 million. Research analysts predict that Merus will post -3.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merus

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRUS. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Merus by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,899,521 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $290,125,000 after purchasing an additional 25,595 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Merus by 21.1% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,497,653 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $147,076,000 after buying an additional 610,139 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merus by 7.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,256,504 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $117,722,000 after acquiring an additional 150,341 shares during the last quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Merus by 56.8% in the fourth quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,125,000 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $89,356,000 after acquiring an additional 770,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boxer Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merus during the fourth quarter valued at $79,895,000. 96.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.