Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Shares Up 5.1%

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) was up 5.1% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $44.19 and last traded at $44.11. Approximately 462,040 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 19% from the average daily volume of 571,081 shares. The stock had previously closed at $41.97.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MRUS shares. HC Wainwright lifted their price target on shares of Merus from $48.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Merus from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $66.00 price objective on shares of Merus in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Merus in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. They set a “buy” rating and a $69.00 price objective for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Merus from $49.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $56.33.

Merus Stock Up 0.2 %

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $45.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $33.82. The stock has a market cap of $2.64 billion, a P/E ratio of -14.82 and a beta of 1.10.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.09) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.71) by ($0.38). The company had revenue of $8.94 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.43 million. Merus had a negative return on equity of 50.61% and a negative net margin of 352.56%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Merus will post -3.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Merus

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merus in the first quarter worth $72,000. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Merus during the fourth quarter valued at $221,000. Parkman Healthcare Partners LLC boosted its position in Merus by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Parkman Healthcare Partners LLC now owns 157,817 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $4,340,000 after acquiring an additional 27,082 shares during the last quarter. Great Point Partners LLC bought a new stake in Merus during the fourth quarter valued at $550,000. Finally, ADAR1 Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Merus during the fourth quarter valued at $660,000. Institutional investors own 96.14% 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.