Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Hits New 12-Month High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS) has recently reached a new 52-week high of $94.56 during trading, indicating significant stock performance with a 36.3% increase.
• Multiple analysts have mixed ratings for the stock; while one analyst gives a Strong Buy rating, the consensus rating is a Moderate Buy with a target price of $91.15.
• Merus reported a loss of ($2.23) earnings per share for the most recent quarter, which was significantly below the consensus estimate, alongside revenues that also fell short of expectations.

Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $94.56 and last traded at $94.34, with a volume of 9724327 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $68.89.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on MRUS. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merus from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 20th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $97.00 target price on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday. Alliance Global Partners began coverage on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday, August 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $90.00 target price on the stock. Industrial Alliance Securities set a $90.00 target price on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday, August 25th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on shares of Merus in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $112.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $91.15.

Merus Trading Up 36.3%

The business's 50-day moving average price is $66.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.52. The stock has a market cap of $7.10 billion, a PE ratio of -17.09 and a beta of 1.19.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported ($2.23) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.17) by ($1.06). The company had revenue of $8.83 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 predict that Merus N.V. will post -3.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merus news, COO Peter B. Silverman sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total transaction of $1,500,000.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 48,500 shares of company stock worth $2,792,500. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Merus

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merus by 2,153.6% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 631 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 603 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merus by 299.0% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 802 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 601 shares during the period. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. lifted its stake in shares of Merus by 21.9% in the 1st quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. now owns 1,753 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Merus by 955.3% in the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,794 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 1,624 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Merus by 15.7% in the 2nd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,674 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $141,000 after purchasing an additional 362 shares during the period. 96.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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