Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Earns Buy Rating from Analysts at Truist Financial

Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. The firm set a "buy" rating and a $69.00 price target on the biotechnology company's stock. Truist Financial's price objective points to a potential upside of 53.23% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on MRUS. HC Wainwright upped their target price on Merus from $48.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com downgraded Merus from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on Merus from $42.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Merus from $40.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Merus from $49.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $53.55.

Merus Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of MRUS stock traded up $0.28 during trading on Thursday, reaching $45.03. 703,062 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 591,822. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.61 billion, a PE ratio of -14.72 and a beta of 1.12. Merus has a twelve month low of $17.15 and a twelve month high of $52.03. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $42.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.90.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.09) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.71) by ($0.38). Merus had a negative net margin of 352.56% and a negative return on equity of 50.61%. The firm had revenue of $8.94 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.43 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Merus will post -3.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merus

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Merus in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in Merus by 37.7% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,253 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares in the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Merus by 142.1% in the 3rd quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,477 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 867 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA increased its holdings in Merus by 107.4% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 1,811 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 938 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Merus by 871.4% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,564 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,403 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.