Northern Trust Corp Has $3.21 Million Stake in Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS)

Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) by 61.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 76,335 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after buying an additional 28,983 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned 0.11% of Merus worth $3,210,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Merus by 56.8% in the fourth quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,125,000 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $89,356,000 after purchasing an additional 770,000 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Merus by 21.1% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,497,653 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $147,076,000 after buying an additional 610,139 shares during the last quarter. Gilead Sciences Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merus during the 4th quarter worth about $19,029,000. Artia Global Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of Merus by 478.6% during the 4th quarter. Artia Global Partners LP now owns 463,840 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $19,504,000 after buying an additional 383,669 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Affinity Asset Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merus by 140.7% during the 4th quarter. Affinity Asset Advisors LLC now owns 389,241 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $16,368,000 after buying an additional 227,500 shares during the last quarter. 96.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merus Stock Up 32.5%

Shares of MRUS opened at $55.14 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $42.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $43.56. The stock has a market cap of $3.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -13.96 and a beta of 0.94. Merus has a 52 week low of $33.19 and a 52 week high of $61.61.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRUS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Merus from $96.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Merus in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $84.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $109.00 target price on shares of Merus in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $86.00.

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.