Leerink Partnrs Has Pessimistic Outlook of Merus Q1 Earnings

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Leerink Partnrs reduced their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Merus in a note issued to investors on Monday, April 28th. Leerink Partnrs analyst A. Berens now forecasts that the biotechnology company will post earnings of ($1.28) per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of ($1.19). The consensus estimate for Merus' current full-year earnings is ($3.85) per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Merus' Q2 2025 earnings at ($1.27) EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at ($1.28) EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at ($1.32) EPS, FY2025 earnings at ($5.16) EPS and FY2026 earnings at ($2.31) EPS.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on MRUS. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $83.00 price objective on shares of Merus in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Merus in a research report on Friday, February 7th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $91.00 price objective for the company. HC Wainwright reaffirmed 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 cut their price target on 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 started coverage on shares of Merus in a report on Thursday, February 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $84.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Merus presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $85.31.

Merus Price Performance

Shares of MRUS opened at $45.51 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $3.14 billion, a P/E ratio of -11.52 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $44.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $44.62. Merus has a 1 year low of $33.19 and a 1 year high of $61.61.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.89) by $0.48. The firm had revenue of $9.14 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.57 million. Merus had a negative net margin of 680.61% and a negative return on equity of 38.89%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Merus by 7.1% in the third 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 during the period. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 328,316 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merus by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 43,208 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,817,000 after acquiring an additional 921 shares during the period. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Merus in the 4th quarter valued at about $360,000. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merus during the fourth quarter worth about $76,000. 96.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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