Merus N.V. $MRUS Shares Sold by Algert Global LLC

Key Points

• Algert Global LLC reduced its position in Merus N.V. by 38.1%, selling 66,013 shares in the first quarter, leaving it with about 0.15% of the company valued at $4.5 million.
• Merus reported a significant loss with an EPS of ($2.23), missing analysts' estimates, and had a negative net margin of 685.64% in its last earnings report.
• Despite the challenges, Merus has received mostly favorable analyst ratings, with ten analysts assigning a buy rating and one a strong-buy rating, indicating a consensus price target of $88.50.

Algert Global LLC lowered its stake in shares of Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) by 38.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 107,101 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 66,013 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC owned approximately 0.15% of Merus worth $4,508,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Aberdeen Group plc raised its stake in shares of Merus by 97.3% in the 1st quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 172,063 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $7,242,000 after acquiring an additional 84,848 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in shares of Merus by 955.3% in the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,794 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 1,624 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Merus by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 828,217 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $34,860,000 after acquiring an additional 41,852 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Merus by 9.1% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 6,101 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $257,000 after acquiring an additional 511 shares during the period. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP raised its stake in shares of Merus by 51.2% in the 1st quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 1,501,220 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $63,186,000 after acquiring an additional 508,063 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.14% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Merus

In other news, COO Peter B. Silverman sold 34,000 shares of Merus stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.76, for a total value of $1,793,840.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 82,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,586,340. Insiders own 3.70% of the company's stock.

Merus Trading Up 1.3%

MRUS stock traded up $0.84 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $67.49. 698,628 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 588,890. The company has a market capitalization of $5.10 billion, a PE ratio of -12.27 and a beta of 1.09. Merus N.V. has a twelve month low of $33.19 and a twelve month high of $68.00. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $59.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $50.50.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on MRUS shares. BMO Capital Markets set a $110.00 target price on shares of Merus and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note 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. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, April 28th. HC Wainwright raised shares of Merus to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merus from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and ten have given a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $88.50.

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.