VR Adviser LLC Decreases Position in Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS)

VR Adviser LLC lowered its stake in shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) by 34.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 592,411 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 315,552 shares during the period. Merus accounts for 1.7% of VR Adviser LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. VR Adviser LLC owned approximately 0.87% of Merus worth $24,911,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MRUS. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merus during the 4th quarter worth approximately $76,000. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Merus by 4,583.6% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 57,234 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $2,407,000 after purchasing an additional 56,012 shares during the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Merus by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 14,517 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $610,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398 shares during the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its stake in shares of Merus by 29.0% during the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 48,268 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $2,030,000 after purchasing an additional 10,842 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TimesSquare Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Merus by 21.6% during the 4th quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 331,195 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $13,927,000 after purchasing an additional 58,760 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRUS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $109.00 price target on shares of Merus in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Merus from $73.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Merus in a report on Thursday, February 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $84.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $84.54.

Merus Price Performance

MRUS opened at $41.36 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $42.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $43.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.86 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.47 and a beta of 0.94. Merus has a one year low of $33.19 and a one year high of $61.61.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.40) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.17) by ($0.23). The firm had revenue of $26.49 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.82 million. Merus had a negative net margin of 680.61% and a negative return on equity of 38.89%. On average, analysts expect that Merus will post -3.85 earnings per share for the current 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.

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