Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) CFO Sells $4,685,093.64 in Stock

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) CFO James Mock sold 34,836 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 36.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Moderna Stock Up 1.3%

Moderna stock opened at $145.62 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $96.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.84. The company has a quick ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 2.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a market cap of $58.14 billion, a P/E ratio of -18.23 and a beta of 1.10. Moderna, Inc. has a twelve month low of $22.28 and a twelve month high of $176.66.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.03) by $0.06. The business had revenue of $145.00 million for 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 business’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted ($2.13) EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group set a $81.00 price target on shares of Moderna in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Moderna from $67.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Argus upgraded shares of Moderna from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, August 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Moderna from $39.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Moderna presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.72.

Trending Headlines about Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor optimism is building around Moderna’s personalized cancer-vaccine program and its collaboration with Merck. Analysts see oncology as a potential long-term growth engine that could help offset weaker COVID-19 vaccine revenue and support a broader business turnaround. Speculation that Merck could acquire Moderna adds to the strategic appeal, although no transaction has been announced. Why Merck Should Buy Moderna
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights Moderna’s strong stock recovery and investors’ growing willingness to value the company on its pipeline rather than solely on COVID-19 products. Moderna’s latest quarterly revenue also exceeded expectations, providing some support for the recovery narrative. Is Cancer the Turnaround Moderna Has Been Looking for Post-COVID?
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership remains substantial, with major investors including BlackRock and California State Teachers’ Retirement System reporting sizable positions. This may improve trading support, but the cited holdings largely reflect earlier reporting periods rather than a new catalyst.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinion remains mixed: Moderna has Buy, Hold and Sell ratings, with a consensus Hold rating. This suggests investors recognize the pipeline opportunity but remain cautious about valuation, execution and the company’s path back to profitability.
• Negative Sentiment: President Stephen Hoge sold a combined 80,575 shares worth approximately $11.7 million over September 14–15. CFO James Mock also sold 34,836 shares, reducing his direct holdings by about 37%. All reported transactions were made under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, limiting their value as discretionary bearish signals, but the insider selling could still weigh on sentiment. Moderna SEC insider-trading filing

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moderna

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MRNA. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Moderna during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,142,877,000. Theleme Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Moderna during the second quarter valued at $564,272,000. Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Moderna during the fourth quarter valued at $378,299,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Moderna by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,461,574 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,384,000 after acquiring an additional 103,977 shares during the period. Finally, Merck & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Moderna in the 2nd quarter worth $161,642,545. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.33% of the company’s stock.

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.