Merus N.V. $MRUS Shares Acquired by Westfield Capital Management Co. LP

Westfield Capital Management Co. LP raised its position in Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS) by 36.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,042,388 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 541,168 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP owned about 2.70% of Merus worth $107,430,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Merus by 34.9% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,718,172 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $198,588,000 after acquiring an additional 1,220,519 shares in the last quarter. Paradigm Biocapital Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Merus by 99.4% during the first quarter. Paradigm Biocapital Advisors LP now owns 3,369,699 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $141,831,000 after purchasing an additional 1,679,777 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its position in shares of Merus by 17.8% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 1,400,171 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $58,933,000 after purchasing an additional 211,653 shares during the period. Siren L.L.C. lifted its position in Merus by 33.0% during the first quarter. Siren L.L.C. now owns 1,043,467 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $43,920,000 after buying an additional 259,055 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Merus by 5.3% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 828,217 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $34,860,000 after purchasing an additional 41,852 shares during the period. 96.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merus Stock Up 0.2%

MRUS stock opened at $96.01 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $88.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.27. The company has a market capitalization of $7.28 billion, a P/E ratio of -18.12 and a beta of 1.26. Merus N.V. has a fifty-two week low of $33.19 and a fifty-two week high of $96.28.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MRUS shares. Citigroup lowered shares of Merus from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $101.00 to $97.00 in a report on Monday, September 29th. Alliance Global Partners began coverage on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, August 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $90.00 target price for the company. Needham & Company LLC lowered Merus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $96.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Leerink Partners restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $97.00 price target (up previously from $95.00) on shares of Merus in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $97.00 price target (down from $109.00) on shares of Merus in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Four 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $92.35.

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.