HighVista Strategies LLC Sells 42,738 Shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS)

HighVista Strategies LLC lowered its stake in shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) by 36.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 73,980 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 42,738 shares during the quarter. Merus comprises 1.3% of HighVista Strategies LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. HighVista Strategies LLC’s holdings in Merus were worth $3,696,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in shares of Merus during the 3rd quarter worth $675,000. Driehaus Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Merus by 26.4% during the 2nd quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 1,550,009 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $91,714,000 after acquiring an additional 323,518 shares during the last quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Merus by 90.6% during the second quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 521,339 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $30,848,000 after acquiring an additional 247,813 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D acquired a new stake in shares of Merus in the third quarter valued at about $1,870,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE bought a new position in shares of Merus in the third quarter worth about $103,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.14% of the company’s stock.

Merus Price Performance

NASDAQ MRUS opened at $48.53 on Tuesday. Merus has a twelve month low of $22.27 and a twelve month high of $61.61. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $49.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $51.88.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The biotechnology company reported ($0.95) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.90) by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $11.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.11 million. Merus had a negative net margin of 680.61% and a negative return on equity of 38.89%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Merus will post -3.89 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group began coverage on Merus in a report on Thursday, October 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $72.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Merus from $93.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Merus in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merus currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $85.45.

Merus 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.