Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) have earned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the nineteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have issued a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $30.3571.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group lowered Moderna from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $40.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Moderna from a “market perform” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Moderna from $24.00 to $21.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 10th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Moderna from $31.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Moderna from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th.

Key Headlines Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Five‑year Phase 2b readout shows sustained benefit — adjuvant intismeran + KEYTRUDA reduced risk of recurrence or death by 49% versus KEYTRUDA alone, a clinically meaningful result that validates Moderna’s individualized neoantigen approach and supports ongoing registrational programs. Moderna, Merck’s skin cancer vaccine shows sustained benefit after five years — Reuters
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction and momentum — coverage across outlets describes shares “skyrocketing,” MRNA becoming one of the day’s top S&P 500 performers, and the stock reaching new 52‑week highs as traders chase the clinical news. This momentum increases retail and institutional attention. Moderna (MRNA) shares skyrocket, what you need to know — MSN
• Positive Sentiment: Options and flow indicate bullish positioning — elevated options activity suggests “big money” is betting on further upside or continued volatility, amplifying price moves. Moderna’s Options: A Look at What the Big Money is Thinking — Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Program depth — Moderna and Merck plan further data presentations and have multiple Phase 2/3 studies across tumor types; longer‑term commercial impact depends on confirmatory trials and regulatory paths. Moderna, Merck Report Positive Results From Cancer‑Vaccine Study — WSJ
• Negative Sentiment: Context and risk — despite today’s rally, MRNA remains well below its COVID‑era peak and faces binary clinical/regulatory risk, uncertain commercialization timelines, and earnings that have been negative; gains could be volatile if follow‑on data or guidance disappoint. Moderna Pops 17%—Is There Life in MRNA, Down 90% from COVID High? — MarketBeat

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Noubar Afeyan sold 23,853 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.48, for a total transaction of $703,186.44. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $115,679.52. This represents a 85.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 10.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moderna

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cromwell Holdings LLC lifted its position in Moderna by 39.7% in the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 341 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in shares of Moderna by 19.0% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,347 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the period. Probity Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Moderna by 2.6% during the second quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. now owns 14,892 shares of the company’s stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 377 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank grew its holdings in Moderna by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 65,458 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,806,000 after buying an additional 408 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC increased its position in Moderna by 94.1% in the 2nd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 920 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 446 shares during the period. 75.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Moderna Price Performance

MRNA stock opened at $49.81 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $30.75 and its 200-day moving average is $28.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.46 billion, a PE ratio of -6.17 and a beta of 1.17. Moderna has a 1 year low of $22.28 and a 1 year high of $50.00.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.51) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.15) by $1.64. The business had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $893.29 million. Moderna had a negative return on equity of 29.81% and a negative net margin of 139.61%.The firm’s revenue was down 45.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.03 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Moderna will post -9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.