BNP Paribas Financial Markets Acquires 23,710 Shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) by 13.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 194,554 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 23,710 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Merus were worth $9,720,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. nVerses Capital LLC lifted its stake in Merus by 750.0% during the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,700 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE bought a new position in shares of Merus during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $103,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Merus by 24.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,467 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $118,000 after buying an additional 489 shares during the period. Farallon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merus in the 2nd quarter valued at $237,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Merus in the second quarter valued at $242,000. 96.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merus Stock Performance

NASDAQ MRUS opened at $44.84 on Monday. Merus has a 52 week low of $22.27 and a 52 week high of $61.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.07 billion, a P/E ratio of -11.35 and a beta of 1.12. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $49.91 and a 200-day moving average of $51.85.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The biotechnology company reported ($0.95) earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.11 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Merus will post -3.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MRUS. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Merus in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Merus in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Merus from $93.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of Merus in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on Merus in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $72.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $85.45.

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.