Brokerages Set Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) PT at $44.33

Shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) have earned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $44.33.

Several research firms have commented on MRUS. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Merus from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 10th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Merus from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 8th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Merus from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 8th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Merus in a research report on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “sell” rating for the company. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Merus in a research report on Thursday.

Merus Price Performance

NASDAQ:MRUS opened at $24.37 on Friday. Merus has a 1-year low of $12.03 and a 1-year high of $27.70. The company has a 50-day moving average of $24.11 and a 200 day moving average of $22.37. The firm has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a PE ratio of -6.31 and a beta of 0.84.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.66) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.86) by $0.20. The company had revenue of $10.48 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.38 million. Merus had a negative net margin of 432.68% and a negative return on equity of 69.89%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Merus will post -3.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merus

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MRUS. Nan Fung Group Holdings Ltd grew its stake in shares of Merus by 61.1% during the 1st quarter. Nan Fung Group Holdings Ltd now owns 151,000 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $2,778,000 after purchasing an additional 57,250 shares during the period. Commodore Capital LP grew its stake in shares of Merus by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. Commodore Capital LP now owns 2,950,000 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $54,280,000 after purchasing an additional 217,433 shares during the period. Braidwell LP acquired a new stake in shares of Merus during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,910,000. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Merus by 24.9% during the 1st quarter. Platinum Investment Management Ltd. now owns 239,052 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $4,399,000 after purchasing an additional 47,697 shares during the period. Finally, Carmignac Gestion grew its stake in shares of Merus by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Carmignac Gestion now owns 474,652 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $8,720,000 after purchasing an additional 25,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.68% of the company’s stock.

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.