Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Stock Price Down 7.8% After Insider Selling

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA)’s stock price was down 7.8% on Friday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $208.92 and last traded at $218.01. 21,311,051 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 73% from the average session volume of 12,344,317 shares. The stock had previously closed at $236.50.

Specifically, President Stephen Hoge sold 39,145 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.72, for a total transaction of $8,640,084.40. Following the sale, the president directly owned 1,636,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $361,222,626.80. This trade represents a 2.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing 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, President Stephen Hoge sold 39,224 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.48, for a total transaction of $8,373,539.52. Following the transaction, the president owned 1,599,258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $341,409,597.84. This represents a 2.39% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRNA has been the topic of several research reports. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Moderna from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. William Blair began coverage on Moderna in a research report on Friday, August 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Brookline Capital Markets reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Loop Capital set a $135.00 price target on shares of Moderna in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Argus upgraded Moderna from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, August 28th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $101.45.

Trending Headlines about Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor enthusiasm remains centered on Moderna’s upcoming personalized cancer-vaccine data, particularly melanoma results expected next week. The catalyst helped drive the recent rally and keeps the company’s oncology pipeline in focus. Moderna falls ahead of cancer vaccine data next week
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna and Merck’s earlier cancer-vaccine progress continues to support optimism about the companies’ oncology strategy, although additional development work is still required. Merck and Moderna cancer vaccine strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $137 from $120 while retaining a Neutral rating. The increase acknowledges Moderna’s momentum, but the target remains well below the stock’s recent trading level. Goldman raises Moderna price target
• Negative Sentiment: After gaining sharply on cancer-vaccine expectations, Moderna is experiencing profit-taking as investors reassess whether the rally has moved ahead of near-term fundamentals. Analysts have highlighted the company’s continuing losses, negative free cash flow, and valuation sensitivity to successful pipeline execution. Moderna stock sinks as Wall Street turns cautious
• Negative Sentiment: The selloff is also affecting vaccine developers broadly, with Novavax under heavier pressure and other vaccine stocks weakening. This sector-wide risk reduction is adding to selling pressure on MRNA. Selloff hits vaccine makers

Moderna Trading Down 7.8%

The stock has a market cap of $87.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -27.29 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 2.18. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $153.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $89.98.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.03) by $0.06. Moderna had a negative net margin of 141.43% and a negative return on equity of 28.30%. The business had revenue of $145.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $102.93 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($2.13) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in Moderna by 53.1% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Moderna by 2.6% in the second quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 3,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $246,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Moderna by 2.0% in the third quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 7,756 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,494,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Moderna by 8.8% in the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock worth $381,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Moderna by 35.1% in the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 801 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.33% of the company’s stock.

Moderna Company Profile

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 help prevent or treat disease, supporting the company’s work across infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, autoimmune conditions, and cardiovascular diseases.

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.