Merus Unusual Options Activity

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on Merus (NASDAQ: MRUS).

And retail traders should know.

We noticed this today when the positions showed up on publicly available options history that we track here at Benzinga.

Whether these are institutions or just wealthy individuals, we don’t know. But when something this big happens with MRUS, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.

Today, Benzinga’s options scanner spotted 41 options trades for Merus.

This isn’t normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 36% bullish and 58%, bearish.

Out of all of the options we uncovered, there was 1 put, for a total amount of $59,000, and 40, calls, for a total amount of $9,128,517.

Projected Price Targets

Taking into account the Volume and Open Interest on these contracts, it appears that whales have been targeting a price range from $50.0 to $100.0 for Merus over the last 3 months.

Insights into Volume & Open Interest

Looking at the volume and open interest is a powerful move while trading options. This data can help you track the liquidity and interest for Merus’s options for a given strike price. Below, we can observe the evolution of the volume and open interest of calls and puts, respectively, for all of Merus’s whale trades within a strike price range from $50.0 to $100.0 in the last 30 days.

Merus 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

Largest Options Trades Observed:

Symbol	PUT/CALL	Trade Type	Sentiment	Exp. Date	Ask	Bid	Price	Strike Price	Total Trade Price	Open Interest	Volume
MRUS	CALL	SWEEP	BEARISH	01/16/26	$45.0	$44.5	$44.5	$50.00	$2.0M	2.3K	655
MRUS	CALL	SWEEP	BEARISH	01/16/26	$47.0	$44.4	$44.6	$50.00	$560.3K	2.3K	2.2K
MRUS	CALL	SWEEP	BEARISH	01/16/26	$45.0	$44.5	$44.5	$50.00	$493.9K	2.3K	766
MRUS	CALL	TRADE	BULLISH	01/16/26	$44.5	$44.5	$44.5	$50.00	$391.6K	2.3K	189
MRUS	CALL	TRADE	BEARISH	01/16/26	$46.8	$44.0	$44.4	$50.00	$381.8K	2.3K	1.3K

About Merus

Merus NV is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company. It develops bispecific antibody therapeutics. The company is developing full-length human multispecific antibody therapeutics, referred to as Biclonics. Merus has only one reportable segment comprising the discovery and development of bispecific therapeutics. Some of its products in the pipeline include MCLA-128; MCLA-117; MCLA-158 and others.

Current Position of Merus

• With a volume of 11,626,179, the price of MRUS is up 37.09% at $94.44.
• RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock may be overbought.
• Next earnings are expected to be released in 31 days.

What The Experts Say On Merus

A total of 2 professional analysts have given their take on this stock in the last 30 days, setting an average price target of $104.5.

Unusual Options Activity Detected: Smart Money on the Move

Benzinga Edge’s Unusual Options board spots potential market movers before they happen. See what positions big money is taking on your favorite stocks. Click here for access.
* Reflecting concerns, an analyst from Citigroup lowers its rating to Neutral with a new price target of $97.
* Reflecting concerns, an analyst from Barclays lowers its rating to Overweight with a new price target of $112.

Trading options involves greater risks but also offers the potential for higher profits. Savvy traders mitigate these risks through ongoing education, strategic trade adjustments, utilizing various indicators, and staying attuned to market dynamics. Keep up with the latest options trades for Merus with Benzinga Pro for real-time alerts.