Moderna Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:MRNA)

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors acquired 82,913 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 71% compared to the typical daily volume of 48,590 call options.

Moderna Price Performance

NASDAQ MRNA opened at $54.82 on Friday. Moderna has a 1 year low of $22.28 and a 1 year high of $85.60. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $59.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $52.51. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market cap of $21.75 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.86 and a beta of 0.94.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($2.03) by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $102.93 million. Moderna had a negative net margin of 143.55% and a negative return on equity of 26.64%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($2.13) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Moderna will post -6.41 EPS for the current year.

More Moderna News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna reported second-quarter EPS of -$1.97, better than the roughly -$2.03 consensus and an improvement from -$2.13 a year earlier. Revenue was approximately $145 million, while management reiterated its plan for up to 10% revenue growth in 2026. Moderna Reports Q2 Loss, Tops Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company improved its 2026 operating-expense outlook by about $200 million and now expects year-end cash of $4.7 billion to $5.2 billion, supporting its effort to reduce cash burn. Moderna also faces a potentially important catalyst on August 5, when regulators are scheduled to decide on its seasonal flu vaccine candidate, mFLUSIVA. Moderna Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading activity showed elevated interest in Moderna call options, with 82,913 contracts acquired versus a typical daily volume of 48,590. This may indicate speculative bullish positioning, but options activity alone does not establish a sustained change in investor sentiment.
• Negative Sentiment: Moderna’s Phase 3 mRNA-1403 norovirus vaccine trial did not meet the statistical criteria for early success at its interim analysis. The company plans to add another participant cohort, extending the trial into a fourth season and delaying clarity on a potential commercial opportunity. Moderna Adds New Cohort to Phase III Vaccine Trial
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about Moderna’s dependence on declining COVID-19 vaccine sales. Although the quarterly loss narrowed, the company still posted a GAAP net loss of about $782 million, and reports characterized revenue as weaker than Wall Street expected. The norovirus setback therefore outweighed the earnings and cost-control improvements. Moderna Misses Quarterly Revenue Estimates on COVID Vaccine Weakness

Insider Activity at Moderna

In other Moderna news, insider Shannon Thyme Klinger sold 3,471 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $173,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 67,468 shares in the company, valued at $3,373,400. The trade was a 4.89% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Noubar Afeyan sold 9,263 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.84, for a total transaction of $433,878.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 3,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $183,800.16. This represents a 70.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 119,406 shares of company stock valued at $5,928,762. 10.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moderna

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in shares of Moderna during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Moderna during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Moderna in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Canton Hathaway LLC acquired a new stake in Moderna in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its position in Moderna by 39.7% in the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 341 shares during the period. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Moderna from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Moderna from $69.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $40.00.

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.