Jump Financial LLC Decreases Stake in Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS)

Jump Financial LLC reduced its stake in shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) by 27.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 54,412 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 20,825 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC owned 0.08% of Merus worth $2,288,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Merus in the third quarter valued at $358,000. MML Investors Services LLC purchased a new position in Merus during the third quarter worth about $206,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Merus by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,256,504 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $117,722,000 after purchasing an additional 150,341 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its holdings in Merus by 83.0% in the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 723,988 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $36,171,000 after buying an additional 328,316 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Merus by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 43,208 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,817,000 after purchasing an additional 921 shares during the period. 96.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merus Trading Up 2.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ MRUS traded up $1.18 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $43.01. 545,159 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 720,057. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.95 and a beta of 1.02. Merus has a 12 month low of $33.19 and a 12 month high of $61.61. The company's 50 day moving average price is $43.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $44.90.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.41) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.89) by $0.48. Merus had a negative net margin of 680.61% and a negative return on equity of 38.89%. The firm had revenue of $9.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.57 million. Equities analysts anticipate that Merus will post -3.85 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MRUS shares. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Merus in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $84.00 price objective on the stock. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of Merus in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $83.00 price objective on shares of Merus in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $109.00 price target on shares of Merus in a report on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Merus in a research note on Friday, February 7th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $91.00 price objective for the company. One equities research 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 MarketBeat, Merus currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.31.

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.