Bellevue Group AG Sells 1,800 Shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS)

Bellevue Group AG decreased its position in shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) by 18.4% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 8,000 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 1,800 shares during the period. Bellevue Group AG’s holdings in Merus were worth $400,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Merus by 24.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,467 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $118,000 after purchasing an additional 489 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in Merus by 2.9% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 33,745 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,520,000 after acquiring an additional 936 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC grew its position in Merus by 750.0% during the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,700 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE purchased a new position in shares of Merus during the third quarter worth approximately $103,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in shares of Merus by 41.0% in the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 8,847 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $523,000 after acquiring an additional 2,572 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.14% of the company’s stock.

Merus Stock Performance

MRUS opened at $44.84 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.07 billion, a PE ratio of -11.35 and a beta of 1.12. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $49.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $51.85. Merus has a 52-week low of $22.27 and a 52-week high of $61.61.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) last released its quarterly earnings results 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). Merus had a negative net margin of 680.61% and a negative return on equity of 38.89%. The company had revenue of $11.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.11 million. Research analysts forecast that Merus will post -3.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on MRUS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Merus in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Merus in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Merus from $93.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Merus in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on Merus in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $72.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $85.45.

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.