Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – What’s Next?

Shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Monday . Approximately 318,828 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 43% from the previous session’s volume of 557,783 shares.The stock last traded at $39.87 and had previously closed at $43.85.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on MRUS shares. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Merus in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $72.00 target price on the stock. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Citigroup increased 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. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $109.00 price objective (down from $111.00) on shares of Merus in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merus currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $85.64.

Merus Price Performance

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $45.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.77. The firm has a market cap of $2.76 billion, a PE ratio of -10.19 and a beta of 1.10.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. nVerses Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merus by 750.0% during the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,700 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE acquired a new stake in Merus during the third quarter valued at $103,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Merus by 24.7% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,467 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $118,000 after buying an additional 489 shares during the period. Farallon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merus during the second quarter valued at $237,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Merus during the second quarter valued at $242,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.14% of the company’s stock.

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.