Shepherd Financial Partners LLC Invests $215,000 in Moderna, Inc. $MRNA

Shepherd Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,065 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $215,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRNA. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in Moderna in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Canton Hathaway LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna during the first quarter valued at about $31,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Moderna by 148.3% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,341 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 801 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of Moderna by 35.1% during 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. 75.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of Moderna in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America upgraded Moderna from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Wednesday. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of Moderna in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of Moderna in a research note on Wednesday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $56.56.

Trending Headlines about Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Phase 3 melanoma trial met both key endpoints. Intismeran, Moderna’s individualized mRNA neoantigen therapy, combined with Merck’s Keytruda, significantly improved recurrence-free survival and distant metastasis-free survival versus Keytruda alone in patients with resected, high-risk melanoma. The companies described the results as the first positive late-stage trial for a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine. Merck and Moderna Phase 3 trial announcement
• Positive Sentiment: The results support a broader cancer-treatment opportunity. Analysts and medical commentators said the outcome could validate Moderna’s mRNA platform for treating cancer and potentially open development opportunities across additional tumor types. The vaccine is tailored to mutations in an individual patient’s tumor, offering a potentially differentiated approach to personalized oncology. Moderna and Merck cancer vaccine breakthrough
• Positive Sentiment: Additional developments added to the bullish sentiment. The FDA approved Moderna’s first mRNA-based seasonal influenza vaccine, mFLUSIVA, while William Blair upgraded the stock to “outperform” and Bank of America moved its rating from “underperform” to “neutral.” FDA approval of Moderna mFLUSIVA
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are awaiting detailed trial data. Moderna and Merck released topline results, but analysts said full efficacy, safety and durability data will be important for assessing regulatory timing and the vaccine’s commercial potential.
• Negative Sentiment: The sharp rally raises execution and valuation risks. The move triggered substantial losses for short sellers and increased options activity, while the stock now reflects much higher expectations for successful approval, manufacturing and adoption. Any disappointing detailed data or regulatory delays could lead to volatility.

Moderna Stock Performance

Shares of Moderna stock opened at $174.38 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $69.62 billion, a PE ratio of -21.82 and a beta of 0.91. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $64.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a current ratio of 2.29. Moderna, Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.28 and a 1 year high of $176.66.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.03) by $0.06. The business had revenue of $145.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($2.13) earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Moderna

In other news, insider Shannon Thyme Klinger sold 3,471 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $173,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 67,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,373,400. This trade represents a 4.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were 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 owned 1,483,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,225,271.76. This trade represents a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Corporate insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

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.