Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Shares Down 2.6% – What’s Next?

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) was down 2.6% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $150.26 and last traded at $154.0310. Approximately 20,214,225 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 73% from the average daily volume of 11,670,668 shares. The stock had previously closed at $158.07.

More Moderna News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor enthusiasm remains high following positive late-stage results for intismeran autogene, Moderna’s personalized mRNA cancer vaccine being developed with Merck alongside Keytruda. The results have strengthened expectations that oncology could become a major growth engine and reduce the company’s dependence on COVID-19 vaccines. Moderna cancer vaccine rally article
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher price targets have added momentum to MRNA, as Wall Street reassesses Moderna’s pipeline beyond its declining COVID-19 franchise. Coverage described the stock’s advance as part of a month-long cancer-vaccine rally. Why Moderna shares are soaring
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent gains have occurred without a new company disclosure, suggesting trading is being driven largely by investor sentiment, analyst commentary and momentum rather than a newly announced commercial or regulatory milestone. The sharp run-up increases the risk of further volatility and profit-taking. Moderna cancer vaccine momentum article
• Negative Sentiment: Moderna President Stephen Hoge sold 40,294 shares for approximately $5.8 million on September 14 and separately sold 40,281 shares for approximately $5.9 million on September 15. The transactions were made under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, which limits their significance as discretionary bearish signals, but the sales may still weigh on sentiment. Moderna insider selling article
• Negative Sentiment: Although the latest quarterly revenue exceeded expectations and the EPS loss was narrower than forecast, Moderna remains unprofitable. Analysts continue to debate whether the cancer pipeline can justify the stock’s elevated valuation after its substantial recovery.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRNA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Moderna from $40.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Loop Capital set a $135.00 target price on shares of Moderna in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Moderna from $39.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Moderna from $48.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $76.72.

Moderna Stock Down 2.6%

The stock has a market capitalization of $61.49 billion, a P/E ratio of -19.28 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $98.00 and its 200-day moving average is $69.58.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($2.03) by $0.06. Moderna had a negative net margin of 141.43% and a negative return on equity of 28.30%. The company had revenue of $145.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $102.93 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($2.13) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Moderna

In other Moderna news, CFO James M. Mock sold 34,836 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total value of $4,685,093.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,985,343.75. This trade represents a 36.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Shannon Klinger sold 3,471 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.95, for a total value of $485,766.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 74,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,374,353.55. The trade was a 4.47% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 118,882 shares of company stock valued at $16,862,280 over the last ninety days. 10.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moderna

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Moderna in the second quarter worth about $30,000. Canton Hathaway LLC acquired a new position in shares of Moderna during the first quarter worth $31,000. Archer Investment Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in Moderna by 35.1% during the 1st 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. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Moderna in the 2nd quarter worth about $45,000. 75.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Moderna

Moderna, Inc is a biotechnology company that develops messenger RNA (mRNA) medicines and vaccines. Its platform is designed to provide cells with instructions to produce proteins that may help prevent or treat infectious diseases, cancer and other medical conditions.

The company’s commercial products include Spikevax, an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, and mRESVIA, an mRNA vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in older adults. Moderna also maintains a pipeline of investigational programs in areas such as seasonal influenza, cytomegalovirus, oncology and rare diseases.

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Moderna serves markets in the United States and internationally through regulatory approvals, commercial partnerships and distribution arrangements.