The most recent Form 13F filing that Ensign Peak Advisors INC made with the SEC revealed that during the third quarter of 2018, the investment firm increased the number of Merus (NASDAQ: MRUS) shares it owned, a total of 51.8%.

The corporation purchased 17,669 shares of Stock in the biotechnology company throughout the period, bringing the total number of shares purchased to 51,773.

At the end of the most recent fiscal quarter, Ensign Peak Advisors INC held a stake in Merus equal to 0.11% of the company’s total shares, valued at $1,037,000.

On February 28, 2018, Merus (NASDAQ: MRUS) presented its most recent quarterly earnings report to the investing community.

The earnings per share (EPS) reported by the biotechnology company for the quarter came in at $1.81, which was $0.97 less than the average analyst expectation of $0.84.

Both the net margin and return on equity for Merus were in red.

The net margin was -315.48%, and the return on equity was -44.86%.

The company’s sales for the quarter came in at $10.67 million, which is significantly higher than the industry analysts’ projections of $8.34 million for the company’s sales for the quarter.

The financial experts who monitor the stock market forecast that Merus will incur a loss of -4.2 cents per share during this year.
When trading started on Monday, MRUS shares were $18.50.

The company has a simple moving average of $16.88 for the last fifty days and a simple moving average of $18.16 for the last two hundred days.

It has been reported that the company has a market capitalization of $856.86 million, its P.E. ratio is reported to be -6.38, and its beta is reported to be 0.75.

During the previous year, the price of Merus experienced significant swings, with prices ranging from a low of $12.03 to a high of $30.81.
In recent months, several well-known shareholders have revised their companies’ ownership percentages.

During the current year’s second quarter, Commodore Capital L.P.

Increased the percentage of Merus shares it owned by 44.0%. Commodore Capital LP is now the owner of a total of 2,615,762 shares of stock in the biotechnology company.

These shares have a value of $59,221,000 due to the recent purchase of an additional 799,341 of the company’s shares during the relevant period.

During the second quarter, 3.504.4 percent of the interests held by Deerfield Management Company L.P. Series C were invested in Merus.

Deerfield Management Company L.P. Series C now holds 1,985,924 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, currently valued at $44,961,000, following the acquisition of an additional 1,548,924 shares during the most recent period.

This brings the total number of shares held by the fund to 1,985,924.

During the second quarter, Driehaus Capital Management LLC increased the Merus shares it owned, bringing its total ownership percentage to 97.1%.

Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 1,093,963 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, which has a market value of $24,767,000 after purchasing an additional 18,587 shares during the most recent period.

This brings the total number of shares owned by the company to 1,093,963. Franklin Resources INC increased its holdings in Merus by 81.2% of a percentage point during the second quarter of the year. Franklin Resources INC increased the total number of shares it owns in the biotechnology company to 858,538 during the most recent quarter, bringing the total value of those shares to $19,437,000 and the total number of shares it has purchased to 384,817.

During the second quarter, Millennium Management LLC increased the amount of Merus stock owned by 86.9%, making this the last and most important point.

After purchasing an additional 393,771 shares throughout the period, Millennium Management LLC now has 847,057 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, currently valued at $19,177,00.

These shares were acquired during the period in question.

A total of 79.34% of the total shares outstanding in the company are held by institutional investors and hedge funds.

On MRUS, there have been many published analyst reports throughout its history.

In a report published on March 1, HC Wainwright changed their rating on Merus from “hold” to “buy” and raised their price target for the stock from $39.00 to $40.00.

In addition, the price target for the stock was increased by the same amount.

EF Hutton Acquisition Co maintained their “buy” rating on shares of Merus and set their price objective for the stock at $35.00 in a research note dated March 1.

In a research report released on March 1, Needham & Company LLC recommended that investors “buy” shares of Merus and decrease their previous price objective from $35.00 to $33.00.

The recommendation to “buy” shares of Merus was made in conjunction with the report’s publication.

In a report distributed on Wednesday, November 16, Citigroup lowered their target price on Merus from $34.00 to $30.00, giving the company a “buy” rating.

This comes after the firm set the target price at $34.00.

Although one analyst has given the stock a sell rating, seven others have given it a buy rating.

The expert who recommended selling the stock was the only one.

According to the information from Bloomberg, the stock has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy,” The price target has been established at $36.71.

Research and development of bispecific antibody treatments is a primary focus for the immuno-oncology company Merus NV, which is currently engaged in the clinical testing phase of its operations.

The company’s research and development efforts are currently focused on developing biclonal treatments for hematological and solid cancer types. On June 16, 2003, Ton Logtenberg and Hennie Hoogenboom were credited with establishing the company as its founders. Utrecht, found in the Netherlands, is the organization’s primary office location.

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