UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Purchases 12,212 Shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 84,200 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after buying an additional 12,212 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s holdings in Merus were worth $4,207,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MRUS. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Merus by 813.3% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 957,952 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $56,682,000 after buying an additional 853,060 shares during the period. Logos Global Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Merus during the 2nd quarter worth $50,294,000. Novo Holdings A S bought a new stake in shares of Merus during the 2nd quarter worth $39,940,000. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merus by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,873,926 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $343,421,000 after buying an additional 648,994 shares during the period. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP bought a new stake in shares of Merus during the 3rd quarter worth $30,399,000. 96.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRUS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Merus from $89.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Merus in a report on Monday. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Merus in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $109.00 price target (down from $111.00) on shares of Merus in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Merus in a report on Thursday, October 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $72.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $85.64.

Merus Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MRUS opened at $41.45 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $49.14 and a 200-day moving average of $51.66. The company has a market capitalization of $2.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.49 and a beta of 1.07. Merus has a 52 week low of $22.75 and a 52 week high of $61.61.

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

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.