Merus N.V. $MRUS Shares Acquired by Aberdeen Group plc

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc increased its stake in Merus N.V. by 97.3% in the 1st quarter, now holding 172,063 shares worth $7.24 million.
• Merus N.V. recently reported a loss of $2.23 EPS, which was significantly below analysts' expectations, alongside a revenue of $8.83 million for the quarter.
• Despite fluctuating analyst ratings, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $88.50.

Aberdeen Group plc increased its holdings in shares of Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) by 97.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 172,063 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 84,848 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.25% of Merus worth $7,242,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRUS. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Merus by 2,153.6% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 631 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 603 shares during the period. State of Wyoming bought a new position in shares of Merus in the 4th quarter worth $48,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position 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 worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in Merus during the 4th quarter valued at about $60,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Merus by 955.3% in the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,794 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 1,624 shares during the period. 96.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MRUS shares. Alliance Global Partners started coverage on Merus in a research report on Monday. They set a "buy" rating and a $90.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered Merus from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday, July 20th. BMO Capital Markets set a $110.00 target price on Merus and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, HC Wainwright upgraded Merus to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have given a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $88.75.

Merus Trading Up 1.7%

NASDAQ MRUS traded up $1.12 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $66.86. The company's stock had a trading volume of 786,355 shares, compared to its average volume of 571,521. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $60.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $50.78. Merus N.V. has a 52 week low of $33.19 and a 52 week high of $68.18. The stock has a market cap of $5.06 billion, a PE ratio of -12.16 and a beta of 1.09.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported ($2.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.17) by ($1.06). Merus had a negative return on equity of 50.28% and a negative net margin of 685.64%.The business had revenue of $8.83 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.77 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Merus N.V. will post -3.85 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Merus

In other news, COO Peter B. Silverman sold 34,000 shares of Merus stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.76, for a total transaction of $1,793,840.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 82,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,586,340 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.70% 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.