Cinctive Capital Management LP Makes New $520,000 Investment in Merus N.V. $MRUS

Key Points

• Cinctive Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Merus N.V., purchasing 12,361 shares valued at approximately $520,000.
• The stock has a market capitalization of $5.10 billion and reported a negative earnings per share of ($2.23), missing analyst expectations.
• Merus has seen significant insider selling, with COO Peter B. Silverman selling 25,000 shares for $1.5 million in July.

Cinctive Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 12,361 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $520,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its holdings in Merus by 27.3% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merus in the fourth quarter worth about $347,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new position in shares of Merus in the fourth quarter worth about $213,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Merus by 61.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 76,335 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $3,210,000 after acquiring an additional 28,983 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in shares of Merus by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 113,056 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $4,754,000 after acquiring an additional 416 shares during the period. 96.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Merus

In other Merus news, COO Peter B. Silverman sold 25,000 shares of Merus stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total transaction of $1,500,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 82,500 shares of company stock worth $4,586,340 in the last ninety days. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Merus Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MRUS traded up $1.36 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $68.55. The company had a trading volume of 519,287 shares, compared to its average volume of 849,819. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $62.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $52.36. The stock has a market cap of $5.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.46 and a beta of 1.19. Merus N.V. has a twelve month low of $33.19 and a twelve month high of $69.20.

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 the consensus estimate of ($1.17) by ($1.06). Merus had a negative net margin of 685.64% and a negative return on equity of 50.28%. The company had revenue of $8.83 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.77 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Merus N.V. will post -3.85 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MRUS. HC Wainwright raised Merus to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Merus from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 20th. BMO Capital Markets set a $110.00 target price on Merus and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on shares of Merus from $97.00 to $96.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, 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 objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have issued a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $88.75.

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.