Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Shares Climb 1.5% After Analyst Upgrade

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA)’s share price rose 1.5% during trading on Wednesday after TD Cowen raised their price target on the stock from $40.00 to $90.00. TD Cowen currently has a hold rating on the stock. Moderna traded as high as $254.48 and last traded at $245.81. Approximately 15,908,386 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 28% from the average daily volume of 12,407,873 shares. The stock had previously closed at $242.08.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Moderna from $40.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Moderna from $48.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Moderna in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective (up from $60.00) on shares of Moderna in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $103.95.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Moderna news, insider Shannon Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.95, for a total value of $485,766.45. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 74,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,374,353.55. The trade was a 4.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 40,294 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.13, for a total transaction of $5,807,574.22. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 1,525,858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $219,921,913.54. The trade was a 2.57% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 197,251 shares of company stock valued at $33,875,904 over the last three months. Company insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Moderna News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor interest is being driven by Moderna’s oncology pipeline, particularly its personalized melanoma vaccine program being developed with Merck. Upcoming cancer data and an ESMO 2026 presentation are viewed as potential catalysts, increasing expectations that oncology could eventually offset declining COVID-19 demand. Forget COVID: Moderna Is Turning Into a Cancer Company
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna is expanding its respiratory portfolio with RSV, influenza and combination vaccines. A newly available mRNA flu vaccine for adults 50 and older provides evidence of commercial progress and could help diversify revenue beyond COVID-19 products. Moderna’s Respiratory Portfolio Expands
• Positive Sentiment: Oddo BHF raised its Moderna price target to $251 from $170, reflecting improved sentiment toward the company’s pipeline and growth prospects. Oddo BHF Adjusts Moderna Price Target

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moderna

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna during the third quarter worth $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of Moderna by 53.1% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Moderna in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Archer Investment Corp purchased a new position in Moderna in the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Canton Hathaway LLC purchased a new position in Moderna in the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. 75.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Moderna Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $163.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $93.77. The stock has a market cap of $98.14 billion, a PE ratio of -30.76 and a beta of 1.09. 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 (NASDAQ:MRNA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.03) by $0.06. The company 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($2.13) earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.11 EPS for the current year.

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.