Caligan Partners LP Takes Position in Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS)

Caligan Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 255,000 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $10,723,000. Merus makes up about 2.9% of Caligan Partners LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Caligan Partners LP owned approximately 0.37% of Merus as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRUS. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in shares of Merus by 27.3% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,400 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Merus in the fourth quarter valued at $76,000. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado bought a new stake in shares of Merus during the 4th quarter worth approximately $146,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new stake in Merus in the fourth quarter valued at $213,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Merus by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 8,020 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $337,000 after purchasing an additional 789 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.14% of the company's stock.

Merus Trading Down 1.9 %

NASDAQ:MRUS traded down $0.83 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $43.36. 389,036 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 710,893. Merus has a 1 year low of $33.19 and a 1 year high of $61.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.00 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.98 and a beta of 0.94. The business's 50-day moving average price is $43.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.43.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.41) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.89) by $0.48. Merus had a negative net margin of 680.61% and a negative return on equity of 38.89%. The business had revenue of $9.14 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.57 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Merus will post -3.85 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRUS has been the topic of several research reports. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Merus from $73.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Merus in a report on Thursday, February 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $84.00 price objective for the company. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $109.00 price target on shares of Merus in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday, April 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $85.31.

Merus 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.