Paradigm Biocapital Advisors LP Lowers Stake in Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS)

Paradigm Biocapital Advisors LP lowered its stake in shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) by 31.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,689,922 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 764,995 shares during the period. Merus accounts for about 2.5% of Paradigm Biocapital Advisors LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Paradigm Biocapital Advisors LP owned about 2.47% of Merus worth $71,061,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MRUS. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merus during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $360,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merus during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $76,000. KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Merus by 4,583.6% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 57,234 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $2,407,000 after buying an additional 56,012 shares during the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Merus by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 14,517 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $610,000 after buying an additional 1,398 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its position in shares of Merus by 29.0% during the fourth quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 48,268 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $2,030,000 after buying an additional 10,842 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.14% of the company's stock.

Merus Stock Performance

MRUS stock traded up $1.48 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $41.56. 1,063,461 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 720,344. Merus has a one year low of $33.19 and a one year high of $61.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.88 billion, a PE ratio of -10.52 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $42.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $43.76.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.40) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.17) by ($0.23). Merus had a negative net margin of 680.61% and a negative return on equity of 38.89%. The firm had revenue of $26.49 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.82 million. On average, equities analysts expect that Merus will post -3.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MRUS. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Merus in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $84.00 price target on the stock. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $109.00 price target on shares of Merus in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Merus from $91.00 to $89.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $85.15.

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.