Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Director Noubar Afeyan Sells 9,263 Shares

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) Director Noubar Afeyan sold 9,263 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.84, for a total transaction of $433,878.92. Following the sale, the director directly owned 3,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $183,800.16. This represents a 70.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Moderna Stock Down 0.8%

MRNA stock opened at $46.88 on Friday. Moderna, Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.28 and a 12 month high of $59.55. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $50.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $41.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.41 and a quick ratio of 2.35. The firm has a market cap of $18.60 billion, a PE ratio of -5.75 and a beta of 1.05.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported ($3.40) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($3.02) by ($0.38). The firm had revenue of $389.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $236.37 million. Moderna had a negative net margin of 143.55% and a negative return on equity of 26.64%. The firm’s revenue was up 260.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($2.52) EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Moderna by 35.1% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 801 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board increased its stake in shares of Moderna by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 15,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $463,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Moderna by 39.7% during the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 341 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Moderna by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 6,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $200,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Moderna by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,732 shares of the company’s stock worth $405,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group set a $37.00 price target on shares of Moderna and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Evercore set a $35.00 price target on shares of Moderna in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Moderna from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Moderna from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $45.00 price target on shares of Moderna in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Two 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Moderna presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $35.73.

Moderna News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna named James Mock as its new chief financial officer, a move that should help stabilize leadership in a key finance role. James Mock Joins Moderna as Chief Financial Officer
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna and Merck reported five-year data showing their melanoma combination therapy reduced the risk of cancer spreading by 59%, supporting the company’s oncology pipeline. Moderna, Merck cancer combo cuts melanoma spread risk at five years
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with a reported average rating of “Reduce,” suggesting the market still has reservations about near-term execution. Moderna, Inc. Receives Average Rating of “Reduce” from Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: The FDA’s rare advisory panel review of Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine introduces regulatory uncertainty for a program investors had been watching closely. USFDA to Convene Expert Panel Review for Moderna’s mRNA Flu Vaccine
• Negative Sentiment: Related reports said Moderna is facing FDA scrutiny on its flu shot, and the added regulatory review has been a drag on the stock. FDA plans rare advisory hearing to debate Moderna’s flu shot

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.