Merus N.V. $MRUS Shares Bought by Invesco Ltd.

Key Points

• Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Merus N.V. by 5.3%, owning 828,217 shares valued at approximately $34.86 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Merus reported a loss of $2.23 per share for the last quarter, missing analysts' expectations and indicating a negative return on equity of 50.28%.
• Analysts rate Merus with a consensus of "Moderate Buy" and have set a mixed price target range, with estimates from as low as $60 to as high as $110.

Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) by 5.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 828,217 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 41,852 shares during the quarter. Invesco Ltd. owned about 1.20% of Merus worth $34,860,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Merus by 2,153.6% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 631 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 603 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Merus in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised 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 purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new stake in Merus during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Merus during the fourth quarter worth approximately $84,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.14% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on MRUS. Wall Street Zen cut Merus from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday, July 20th. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on Merus from $97.00 to $96.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. BMO Capital Markets set a $110.00 price target on Merus and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, HC Wainwright upgraded Merus to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $88.50.

Merus Price Performance

NASDAQ MRUS opened at $66.00 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.00 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $59.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $49.81. Merus N.V. has a 52-week low of $33.19 and a 52-week high of $67.59.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last released 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 company had revenue of $8.83 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.77 million. On average, analysts predict that Merus N.V. will post -3.85 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Merus news, COO Peter B. Silverman sold 25,000 shares of the business's 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders 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 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.

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