Brokerages Set Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Price Target at $85.31

Shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) have received a consensus rating of “Buy” from the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $85.31.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Merus in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Citigroup upped their target price on Merus from $89.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Merus in a research report on Friday, February 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $91.00 target price for the company. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on Merus from $85.00 to $83.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday, March 3rd.

Merus Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MRUS opened at $47.00 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $43.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $46.26. Merus has a 52 week low of $37.77 and a 52 week high of $61.61. The company has a market capitalization of $3.25 billion, a P/E ratio of -11.90 and a beta of 1.15.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.41) EPS 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 firm had revenue of $9.14 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.57 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Merus will post -3.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MRUS. State of Wyoming bought a new position in Merus in the fourth quarter worth $48,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its position in Merus by 27.3% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 1,400 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new position in Merus in the fourth quarter worth $60,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Merus in the fourth quarter worth $76,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Merus in the fourth quarter worth $84,000. 96.14% of the stock is owned by 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.