Merus N.V. $MRUS Shares Sold by Trexquant Investment LP

Key Points

• Trexquant Investment LP has reduced its stake in Merus N.V. by 38.1%, selling 38,351 shares during the first quarter, bringing its ownership to approximately 0.09% of the company valued at $2.6 million.
• Several institutional investors, including GAMMA Investing LLC and Caitong International Asset Management, have significantly increased their holdings in Merus N.V., reflecting a growing institutional interest in the company.
• Merus reported a loss of ($2.23) EPS for its last quarterly results, falling short of the consensus estimate, with revenue of $8.83 million compared to expectations of $9.77 million.

Trexquant Investment LP lowered its stake in Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) by 38.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 62,382 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 38,351 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP owned 0.09% of Merus worth $2,626,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Merus by 34.9% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,718,172 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $198,588,000 after purchasing an additional 1,220,519 shares in the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP boosted its holdings in Merus by 51.2% during the first quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 1,501,220 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $63,186,000 after buying an additional 508,063 shares in the last quarter. Polar Capital Holdings Plc increased its position in Merus by 34.7% during the fourth quarter. Polar Capital Holdings Plc now owns 1,706,238 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $71,747,000 after purchasing an additional 439,186 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merus by 87.0% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 883,565 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $37,154,000 after purchasing an additional 411,184 shares during the period. Finally, Octagon Capital Advisors LP bought a new position in shares of Merus in the 4th quarter worth about $12,951,000. 96.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merus Price Performance

NASDAQ MRUS traded down $0.58 on Monday, reaching $66.89. 263,238 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 850,327. Merus N.V. has a 12 month low of $33.19 and a 12 month high of $69.20. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $62.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $52.22. The stock has a market cap of $5.06 billion, a PE ratio of -12.14 and a beta of 1.19.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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). The firm had revenue of $8.83 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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, analysts anticipate that Merus N.V. will post -3.85 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Merus

In other Merus news, COO Peter B. Silverman sold 34,000 shares of Merus stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.76, for a total transaction of $1,793,840.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 82,500 shares of company stock worth $4,586,340. 3.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MRUS shares. Industrial Alliance Securities set a $90.00 target price on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, August 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered Merus from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 20th. HC Wainwright raised Merus to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on Merus from $97.00 to $96.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Alliance Global Partners initiated coverage on Merus in a report on Monday, August 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $90.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eleven have issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merus has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $88.75.

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.