Analysts Set Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS) Price Target at $84.64

Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Buy" from the fourteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $84.64.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MRUS shares. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Merus from $73.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Merus in a report on Monday, March 3rd. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Merus in a report on Monday, April 28th. BMO Capital Markets set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Merus and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 target price on shares of Merus in a report on Monday, May 19th.

Merus Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of NASDAQ MRUS traded up $1.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $54.13. The company had a trading volume of 644,395 shares, compared to its average volume of 755,859. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $44.60. The company has a market capitalization of $3.75 billion, a PE ratio of -13.27 and a beta of 1.04. Merus has a one year low of $33.19 and a one year high of $62.98.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.40) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.17) by ($0.23). Merus had a negative net margin of 506.73% and a negative return on equity of 35.99%. The firm had revenue of $26.49 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.82 million. Sell-side analysts expect that Merus will post -3.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Merus

In other news, COO Peter B. Silverman sold 34,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 SEC, which is available through this link. 4.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Merus

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Boxer Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Merus in the 4th quarter worth approximately $79,895,000. Paradigm Biocapital Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Merus by 99.4% during the 1st quarter. Paradigm Biocapital Advisors LP now owns 3,369,699 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $141,831,000 after purchasing an additional 1,679,777 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Merus by 34.9% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,718,172 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $198,588,000 after purchasing an additional 1,220,519 shares during the period. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 770,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP boosted its holdings in shares of Merus by 51.2% in the first quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 1,501,220 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $63,186,000 after buying an additional 508,063 shares during the last quarter. 96.14% of the stock is currently 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.