Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA – Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $174.38, but opened at $150.14. Moderna shares last traded at $137.7820, with a volume of 22,809,089 shares traded.
Moderna News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Moderna and Merck reported that their Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial met its primary and secondary endpoints. The personalized mRNA vaccine intismeran, used with Merck’s Keytruda, reduced the risk of melanoma recurrence and distant metastasis in patients with completely resected, high-risk stage IIB-IV disease—the first positive late-stage result for a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine. Merck, Moderna say melanoma skin cancer vaccine meets goals in large trial
- Positive Sentiment: The result strengthens the investment case that Moderna’s mRNA platform can generate growth beyond COVID-19 vaccines. Analysts and investors see potential applications in other cancers, while one estimate cited possible annual intismeran sales of about $3 billion by 2035. Moderna’s Personalized Cancer Vaccine Proves Its mRNA Tech Works
- Positive Sentiment: Moderna also received FDA approval for mFLUSIVA, its first mRNA-based seasonal influenza vaccine, adding a new commercial product to its respiratory-vaccine portfolio. FDA Approves Moderna’s mFLUSIVA Seasonal Influenza Vaccine
- Neutral Sentiment: The melanoma results are topline findings; investors still need detailed efficacy and safety data, regulatory approval, and evidence that the treatment can be manufactured and commercialized profitably. Approval could come as early as 2027, according to reports.
- Negative Sentiment: After the stock more than doubled in the prior session, valuation concerns and profit-taking pressured shares. Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $89 but retained an “equal weight” rating, leaving its target materially below the market level. Moderna stock falls after record rally as valuation concerns emerge
- Negative Sentiment: The earlier surge was amplified by a short squeeze, with short sellers reportedly facing billions of dollars in paper losses. That technical buying pressure may fade, potentially increasing volatility as the stock establishes a new valuation.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
MRNA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America raised Moderna from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Moderna from $39.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Loop Capital set a $135.00 price target on shares of Moderna in a report on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Moderna in a research note on Wednesday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $66.25.
Moderna Price Performance
The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 2.18. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $64.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $54.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.66 billion, a PE ratio of -17.45 and a beta of 0.91.
Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.03) by $0.06. The business had revenue of $145.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $102.93 million. Moderna had a negative net margin of 141.43% and a negative return on equity of 28.30%. The company’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($2.13) earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.18 EPS for the current year.
Insider Buying and Selling at Moderna
In related news, insider Shannon Thyme Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $173,550.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 67,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,373,400. This represents a 4.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, President Stephen Hoge sold 53,336 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.37, for a total value of $2,739,870.32. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 1,483,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,225,271.76. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 10.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in shares of Moderna by 35.1% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 801 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board increased its position in Moderna by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 15,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $463,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in Moderna by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 6,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $200,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Moderna by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,732 shares of the company’s stock worth $405,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the period. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators boosted its holdings in shares of Moderna by 16.9% in the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 2,640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares during the last quarter. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
About Moderna
Moderna, Inc is a biotechnology company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, specializing in messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines. The company’s platform leverages synthetic mRNA to instruct cells to produce proteins that can prevent or treat diseases. Since its founding in 2010, Moderna has advanced from early-stage research into a broad pipeline of vaccine and therapeutic candidates designed to address infectious diseases, rare genetic disorders and chronic illnesses.
Moderna’s flagship product is its mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine, which was the first of its kind to receive emergency use authorization and later full approval in multiple jurisdictions.
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