Octagon Capital Advisors LP Invests $12.95 Million in Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS)

Octagon Capital Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 308,000 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $12,951,000. Merus accounts for about 2.1% of Octagon Capital Advisors LP's holdings, making the stock its 18th largest position. Octagon Capital Advisors LP owned approximately 0.45% of Merus as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. KBC Group NV raised its position in 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 period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its position in 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 period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Merus during the fourth quarter valued at $347,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in Merus by 27.3% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,400 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss National Bank raised its position in Merus by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 93,954 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $3,951,000 after buying an additional 8,300 shares during the period. 96.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merus Trading Up 3.7%

NASDAQ:MRUS traded up $1.48 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $41.56. 1,063,461 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 721,281. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $42.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $43.71. Merus has a 12 month low of $33.19 and a 12 month high of $61.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.52 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on MRUS shares. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $83.00 target price on shares of Merus in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $109.00 target price on shares of Merus in a research report on Friday, March 28th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on Merus from $73.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $85.15.

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.