China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Raises Holdings in Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS)

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) by 10.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,517 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,398 shares during the quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Merus were worth $610,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Avior Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merus during the fourth quarter worth about $76,000. nVerses Capital LLC lifted its stake in Merus by 750.0% during the 3rd 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 period. US Bancorp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Merus in the 3rd quarter valued at $103,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Merus by 24.7% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,467 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $118,000 after acquiring an additional 489 shares during the period. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merus during the third quarter worth $206,000. 96.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merus Trading Down 1.5 %

NASDAQ:MRUS opened at $40.94 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $42.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.12. Merus has a 12 month low of $35.06 and a 12 month high of $61.61. The firm has a market cap of $2.80 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.36 and a beta of 1.10.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The biotechnology company reported ($0.95) EPS 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 firm had revenue of $11.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.11 million. On average, research analysts forecast that Merus will post -3.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRUS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $109.00 price target (down from $111.00) on shares of Merus in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday, December 9th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Merus in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $72.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Merus from $89.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. One investment 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Merus currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $85.64.

Merus Company 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.