Affinity Asset Advisors LLC Purchases 227,500 Shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS)

Affinity Asset Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) by 140.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 389,241 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 227,500 shares during the quarter. Merus comprises about 2.2% of Affinity Asset Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. Affinity Asset Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.57% of Merus worth $16,368,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRUS. Capital Fund Management S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Merus during the fourth quarter worth $427,000. CenterBook Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of Merus by 664.0% in the fourth quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 142,875 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $6,008,000 after acquiring an additional 124,174 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merus during the fourth quarter worth about $347,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Merus by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 786,365 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $33,067,000 after purchasing an additional 16,712 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in Merus by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,899,521 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $290,125,000 after purchasing an additional 25,595 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.14% of the company's stock.

Merus Stock Up 2.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ MRUS traded up $1.15 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $43.06. 320,615 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 717,667. 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 $43.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.98 billion, a PE ratio of -10.90 and a beta of 1.02.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on MRUS shares. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $83.00 target price on shares of Merus in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Merus in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Merus in a research report on Friday, February 7th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $91.00 target price on the stock. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Merus from $73.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $85.31.

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.