Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Stock Jumps 6.7% – Should You Buy?
by Mitch Edgeman · The Markets DailyModerna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA – Get Free Report) rose 6.7% during trading on Tuesday. The stock traded as high as $243.98 and last traded at $242.08. Approximately 16,754,052 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 35% from the average session volume of 12,391,332 shares. The stock had previously closed at $226.89.
Moderna News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Investor enthusiasm is building around Moderna’s oncology pipeline, with attention focused on upcoming melanoma vaccine data and the possibility that its cancer program could become a meaningful long-term growth driver. Moderna Jumps 7% While Melanoma Vaccine Data Looms
- Positive Sentiment: Moderna is expanding its respiratory portfolio with RSV, influenza and combination vaccines, offering potential new revenue streams and reducing reliance on COVID-19 products. A new mRNA flu vaccine is also becoming available to some adults, supporting commercial visibility for the platform. Moderna’s Respiratory Portfolio Expands
- Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Moderna’s work in artificial intelligence and the future of healthcare reinforces the company’s technology-driven narrative, though the discussion does not identify a specific near-term financial catalyst. Moderna’s Dr. Stephen Hoge on AI and the future of healthcare
- Neutral Sentiment: Recent trading coverage attributes the advance to improving Wall Street sentiment and company-specific catalysts, but provides limited new fundamental information. Why Did MRNA, CVX, V Stocks Jump To 52-Week Highs Today?
- Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target to $90 but retained a “hold” rating—far below the current trading level—signaling that the recent rally may have outpaced the firm’s assessment of Moderna’s fundamentals.
- Negative Sentiment: Analysts note intense competition in RSV and flu vaccines, while skeptics warn that enthusiasm surrounding the cancer pipeline may be premature until clinical data and commercialization prospects improve. Moderna: Sell The Cancer Vaccine Hype
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Friday, September 25th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday. CLSA raised shares of Moderna to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 28th. Argus raised shares of Moderna from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, August 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $103.95.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on MRNA
Moderna Price Performance
The business has a fifty day moving average price of $167.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $95.16. The company has a quick ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 2.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.
Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($2.03) by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $102.93 million. Moderna had a negative return on equity of 28.30% and a negative net margin of 141.43%. The company’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($2.13) EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.11 EPS for the current year.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, CFO James M. Mock sold 34,836 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total value of $4,685,093.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 59,375 shares in the company, valued at $7,985,343.75. This trade represents a 36.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 transaction, the insider owned 74,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,374,353.55. This represents a 4.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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 a total of 197,251 shares of company stock valued at $33,875,904 over the last quarter. 10.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moderna
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MRNA. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Moderna in the third quarter valued at approximately $232,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Moderna by 44.2% during the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 23,692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,562,000 after purchasing an additional 7,267 shares during the period. Aire Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Moderna during the third quarter valued at approximately $233,000. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Moderna in the third quarter worth approximately $243,000. Finally, Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Moderna in the third quarter worth approximately $369,000. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
About Moderna
Moderna, Inc is a biotechnology company that develops medicines and vaccines using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. Its platform is designed to instruct cells to produce proteins that can stimulate immune responses or support the treatment of disease. The company’s research programs span infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, autoimmune conditions and other therapeutic areas.
Moderna’s commercial products include Spikevax, an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, and mRESVIA, an mRNA vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in older adults.