Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS) Receives Average Rating of "Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Merus N.V. has received a consensus "Buy" rating from eleven brokerage firms, with a one-year price target averaging $88.50.
• The company reported a loss of $2.23 earnings per share for the last quarter, missing analyst expectations and demonstrating a negative net margin of 685.64%.
• Insiders have sold a total of 82,500 shares of Merus stock valued at approximately $4.6 million over the past 90 days.

Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Buy" from the eleven analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $88.50.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Merus from $91.00 to $89.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. HC Wainwright raised Merus to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, April 28th. BMO Capital Markets set a $110.00 price target on Merus and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on Merus from $97.00 to $96.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th.

Merus Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of MRUS stock traded down $0.83 on Friday, hitting $63.77. 584,380 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 883,367. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.82 billion, a PE ratio of -11.59 and a beta of 1.09. Merus has a one year low of $33.19 and a one year high of $67.59. The firm's 50 day moving average is $58.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.93.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported ($2.23) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.17) by ($1.06). The company had revenue of $8.83 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.77 million. Merus had a negative return on equity of 50.28% and a negative net margin of 685.64%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Merus will post -3.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Peter B. Silverman sold 34,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.76, for a total transaction of $1,793,840.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 82,500 shares of company stock worth $4,586,340 over the last three months. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merus

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position 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 worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 603 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its stake in Merus by 299.0% during 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 last quarter. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Merus during the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its stake in Merus by 27.3% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,400 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new stake in Merus during the 4th quarter valued at about $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.14% of the company's stock.

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.