Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Stock Price Up 7.5% – Should You Buy?

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) traded up 7.5% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $42.57 and last traded at $42.57. Approximately 557,280 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 20% from the average daily volume of 697,193 shares. The stock had previously closed at $39.60.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MRUS shares. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Merus in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Merus from $89.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Merus in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Merus from $73.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Merus in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $84.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $85.31.

Merus Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.97 billion, a PE ratio of -10.89 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a fifty day moving average of $44.03 and a 200-day moving average of $45.91.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.41) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.89) by $0.48. Merus had a negative return on equity of 38.89% and a negative net margin of 680.61%. The company had revenue of $9.14 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.57 million. Equities analysts anticipate that Merus will post -3.85 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Merus

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in Merus in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in shares of Merus by 27.3% in the fourth 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 period. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of Merus in the fourth quarter worth $60,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merus during the 4th quarter worth $76,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Merus in the 4th quarter valued at $84,000. 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.