Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA)’s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $51.87, but opened at $49.81. Moderna shares last traded at $47.5320, with a volume of 4,393,569 shares trading hands.

Key Stories Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Five?year Phase IIb results: Moderna and Merck reported the personalized cancer vaccine (intismeran autogene plus Keytruda) cut the risk of recurrence or death by ~49% in high?risk melanoma — a major clinical win that drove the rally. MRNA & MRK’s Personalized Cancer Therapy Delivers Strong 5-Year Data
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction and sentiment: Coverage from major outlets notes shares surged, extended a year?to?date rally and reached a 52?week high as investors price in the potential of a cancer vaccine and a broader oncology pipeline to replace weaker respiratory vaccine revenues. Moderna Stock Is Surging. Why a Cancer Vaccine Study Has Sparked a Rally.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wider market and visibility: Moderna is a trending ticker across market roundups and tech/health coverage, which amplifies intraday moves but doesn’t change fundamentals by itself. Trending tickers: AMD, Intel, Moderna…
• Negative Sentiment: CEO says Moderna will curb investments in new late?stage vaccine trials due to U.S. political/backlash concerns — a signal that the company may reallocate R&D capital away from some vaccine programs, which could limit near?term revenue opportunities outside the oncology wins. Moderna curbing investments in vaccine trials due to US backlash, CEO tells Bloomberg TV
• Negative Sentiment: Momentum and profit?taking risk: Several pieces note sharp short?term gains and momentum indicators that suggest caution — typical catalysts for a pullback as traders lock in profits after a rapid move. Moderna shares soar through the week, momentum data points toward caution

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRNA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Moderna from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Moderna from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $30.36.

Moderna Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $18.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.97 and a beta of 1.17. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $31.29 and a 200 day moving average of $28.68.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.51) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.15) by $1.64. The company had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $893.29 million. Moderna had a negative return on equity of 29.81% and a negative net margin of 139.61%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 45.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.03 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Moderna, Inc. will post -9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moderna

In related news, Director Noubar Afeyan sold 23,853 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.48, for a total value of $703,186.44. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $115,679.52. This represents a 85.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 10.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moderna

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its holdings in shares of Moderna by 94.1% during the 2nd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 920 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 446 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its position in Moderna by 348.8% in the second quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 956 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 743 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in Moderna in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Whittier Trust Co. acquired a new stake in Moderna during the second quarter worth $28,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in Moderna in the second quarter valued at $28,000. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moderna Company Profile

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.