Analysts Set Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Target Price at $80.20

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) has received an average rating of “Buy” from the twelve analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $80.20.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Merus from $90.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Citigroup increased their price target on Merus from $70.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $76.00 price objective on shares of Merus in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $67.00 price objective on shares of Merus in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Merus from $69.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 4th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Peter B. Silverman sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $600,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 4.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRUS. Great Point Partners LLC bought a new position in Merus in the fourth quarter valued at about $550,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of Merus by 63.8% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 102,885 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $4,633,000 after purchasing an additional 40,060 shares during the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP increased its position in Merus by 138.4% during the 4th quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 40,489 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,113,000 after purchasing an additional 23,503 shares in the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC bought a new position in Merus in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,320,000. Finally, Avoro Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Merus by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC now owns 888,888 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $24,444,000 after purchasing an additional 444,444 shares during the last quarter. 96.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merus Stock Down 3.8 %

MRUS stock opened at $47.77 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $2.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.25 and a beta of 1.12. Merus has a twelve month low of $19.81 and a twelve month high of $61.61. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $52.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.97.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The biotechnology company reported ($0.81) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.76) by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $7.33 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.64 million. Merus had a negative net margin of 476.41% and a negative return on equity of 36.33%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Merus will post -3.27 EPS for the current fiscal 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.