Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Receives “Buy” Rating from HC Wainwright

HC Wainwright reiterated their buy rating on shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) in a research report sent to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $85.00 price target on the biotechnology company’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Merus in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Merus from $93.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. UBS Group initiated coverage on Merus in a report on Thursday, October 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $72.00 target price on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Merus in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $85.45.

Merus Trading Up 8.2 %

NASDAQ:MRUS opened at $48.53 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $51.88. The stock has a market cap of $3.32 billion, a P/E ratio of -12.29 and a beta of 1.12. Merus has a 1-year low of $22.27 and a 1-year high of $61.61.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The biotechnology company reported ($0.95) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.90) by ($0.05). Merus had a negative net margin of 680.61% and a negative return on equity of 38.89%. The business had revenue of $11.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.11 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Merus will post -3.89 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merus

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRUS. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Merus by 7.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,256,504 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $117,722,000 after buying an additional 150,341 shares in the last quarter. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd raised its position in Merus by 10.4% in the third quarter. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd now owns 5,000 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merus during the third quarter valued at about $206,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Merus by 73.6% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,887,514 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $144,260,000 after purchasing an additional 1,224,573 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merus in the third quarter valued at approximately $358,000. 96.14% of the stock is currently 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.