A/S Genmab Purchases 120,752 Shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Stock

Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS) major shareholder A/S Genmab acquired 120,752 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $97.00 per share, for a total transaction of $11,712,944.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 71,583,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,943,631,413. This trade represents a 0.17% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

A/S Genmab also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, December 17th, A/S Genmab acquired 150,795 shares of Merus stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of $97.00 per share, with a total value of $14,627,115.00.

Merus Stock Down 0.1%

MRUS traded down $0.09 during trading on Thursday, reaching $96.80. 820,454 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,275,767. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $95.57 and its 200 day moving average is $75.41. Merus N.V. has a 12 month low of $33.19 and a 12 month high of $96.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.34 billion, a PE ratio of -18.26 and a beta of 1.06.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup lowered Merus from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $101.00 to $97.00 in a research note on Monday, September 29th. HC Wainwright lowered shares of Merus from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $135.00 to $97.00 in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $97.00 price target (down from $112.00) on shares of Merus in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Leerink Partners reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $97.00 price objective (up previously from $95.00) on shares of Merus in a report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $97.00 price objective (up previously from $95.00) on shares of Merus in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merus presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $93.56.

Institutional Trading of Merus

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Merus by 34.9% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,718,172 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $198,588,000 after purchasing an additional 1,220,519 shares during the period. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merus by 12.3% in the 3rd quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,542,500 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $333,526,000 after buying an additional 386,945 shares during the last quarter. Paradigm Biocapital Advisors LP grew its position in Merus by 99.4% during the first quarter. Paradigm Biocapital Advisors LP now owns 3,369,699 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $141,831,000 after buying an additional 1,679,777 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP increased its holdings in Merus by 18.8% during the second quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 2,225,241 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $117,048,000 after buying an additional 351,616 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP raised its position in Merus by 4.4% in the third quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 2,132,489 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $200,774,000 after acquiring an additional 90,101 shares during the period. 96.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.