Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Brokerages

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $85.64.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Merus in a report on Thursday, October 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $72.00 price target for the company. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Merus from $89.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $109.00 price objective (down previously from $111.00) on shares of Merus in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd.

Merus Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of MRUS opened at $42.05 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $46.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $50.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.88 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.65 and a beta of 1.07. Merus has a 1-year low of $27.11 and a 1-year high of $61.61.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) last released its earnings results 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.11 million. On average, research analysts predict that Merus will post -3.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Merus

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of MRUS. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC boosted its holdings in Merus by 83.0% during the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 723,988 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $36,171,000 after acquiring an additional 328,316 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Merus by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,256,504 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $117,722,000 after purchasing an additional 150,341 shares during the period. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd grew its holdings in Merus by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd now owns 5,000 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $250,000 after buying an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC bought a new position in Merus in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $206,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Merus by 73.6% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,887,514 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $144,260,000 after acquiring an additional 1,224,573 shares during the period. 96.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.