Merus N.V. $MRUS Position Lifted by Allostery Investments LP

Key Points

• Allostery Investments LP nearly quintupled its stake in Merus N.V. by increasing holdings by 473.5% to 124,657 shares, making it the company's 4th largest investor.
• Merus reported a significant earnings miss with an EPS of ($2.23), falling short of the consensus estimate by ($1.06) and experiencing a negative net margin of 685.64% for the latest quarter.
• Wall Street analysts maintain a positive outlook for Merus, with most offering "Buy" ratings and a target price averaging around $88.75, indicating potential growth despite recent losses.

Allostery Investments LP lifted its position in Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) by 473.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 124,657 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 102,922 shares during the quarter. Merus comprises approximately 7.6% of Allostery Investments LP's portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Allostery Investments LP owned approximately 0.18% of Merus worth $5,247,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRUS. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. grew its position in Merus by 21.9% in the first quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. now owns 1,753 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Parkman Healthcare Partners LLC increased its stake in Merus by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Parkman Healthcare Partners LLC now owns 45,680 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,921,000 after acquiring an additional 331 shares during the last quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC raised its position in Merus by 2.7% during the first quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 13,785 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $580,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG lifted its stake in Merus by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 113,056 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $4,754,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Alliance Global Partners assumed coverage on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday, August 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $90.00 price target on the stock. Industrial Alliance Securities set a $90.00 target price on shares of Merus in a report on Monday, August 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Merus from $91.00 to $89.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merus from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $110.00 price objective on Merus and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have issued a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $88.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Peter B. Silverman sold 25,000 shares of Merus stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $1,500,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders sold 82,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,586,340 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.70% of the company's stock.

Merus Stock Performance

Shares of Merus stock traded up $1.24 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $67.47. 635,515 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 549,936. The company has a market cap of $5.10 billion, a PE ratio of -12.27 and a beta of 1.19. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $62.57 and a 200-day moving average of $52.14. Merus N.V. has a 12 month low of $33.19 and a 12 month high of $69.20.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported ($2.23) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $8.83 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.77 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Merus N.V. will post -3.85 earnings per share 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.