Leerink Partnrs Issues Negative Outlook for Merus Earnings

Key Points

• Leerink Partners has decreased its Q3 2025 earnings estimate for Merus to ($1.50) per share, down from a prior estimate of ($1.32), while the consensus estimate for the full year is ($3.85) per share.
• Merus recently reported Q2 earnings of ($2.23) per share, missing the consensus estimate, and achieved revenue of $8.83 million, below the expected $9.77 million.
• Analyst ratings for Merus include one sell, ten buy, and one strong buy, with a current consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $88.50.

Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) - Research analysts at Leerink Partnrs cut their Q3 2025 earnings estimates for shares of Merus in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, August 6th. Leerink Partnrs analyst A. Berens now expects that the biotechnology company will earn ($1.50) per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of ($1.32). The consensus estimate for Merus' current full-year earnings is ($3.85) per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Merus' Q4 2025 earnings at ($1.52) EPS, FY2025 earnings at ($6.63) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($5.70) EPS and FY2027 earnings at ($5.85) EPS.

MRUS has been the subject of a number of other reports. HC Wainwright raised shares of Merus to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. BMO Capital Markets set a $110.00 target price on shares of Merus and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Merus from $91.00 to $89.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on shares of Merus from $97.00 to $96.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $88.50.

Merus Stock Down 1.0%

MRUS stock traded down $0.69 during trading on Monday, reaching $66.40. The stock had a trading volume of 151,116 shares, compared to its average volume of 879,089. Merus has a one year low of $33.19 and a one year high of $67.59. The company's 50 day moving average is $58.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.16. The company has a market capitalization of $5.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.00 and a beta of 1.09.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $8.83 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.77 million.

Institutional Trading of Merus

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MRUS. Boxer Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merus in the 4th quarter worth approximately $79,895,000. Paradigm Biocapital Advisors LP lifted its stake in Merus by 99.4% in the 1st quarter. Paradigm Biocapital Advisors LP now owns 3,369,699 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $141,831,000 after purchasing an additional 1,679,777 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Merus by 34.9% in the 1st 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. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Merus by 56.8% during the 4th quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,125,000 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $89,356,000 after buying an additional 770,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP grew its position in Merus by 36.0% in the second quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 2,042,388 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $107,430,000 after acquiring an additional 541,168 shares in the last quarter. 96.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Peter B. Silverman sold 34,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 82,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,586,340. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.