4,641 Shares in Moderna, Inc. $MRNA Bought by EP Wealth Advisors LLC

EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 4,641 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $325,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MRNA. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in Moderna during the first quarter worth about $899,000. Merck & Co. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Moderna in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $161,642,545,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Moderna in the second quarter valued at approximately $119,168,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Moderna by 1,387.6% in the 2nd quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 24,218 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,696,000 after acquiring an additional 22,590 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lingotto Investment Management LLP increased its holdings in Moderna by 33.7% in the 4th quarter. Lingotto Investment Management LLP now owns 498,693 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,706,000 after acquiring an additional 125,598 shares during the last quarter. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Brookline Capital Markets reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Moderna from $40.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Loop Capital set a $135.00 target price on Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. William Blair upgraded Moderna from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.31.

Insider Transactions at Moderna

In other news, President Stephen Hoge sold 53,336 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.37, for a total value of $2,739,870.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the president directly owned 1,483,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,225,271.76. This represents a 3.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Shannon Thyme Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $173,550.00. Following the transaction, the insider 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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. 10.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Positive Phase 3 cancer-vaccine data remains the main catalyst. Moderna and Merck reported that intismeran, used with Keytruda, met key goals in the INTerpath-001 study of resected melanoma. The result is viewed as an important validation of Moderna’s mRNA technology because it reportedly showed benefit over Keytruda alone—the first positive late-stage readout for an mRNA-based cancer vaccine in this setting. Moderna’s personalized cancer vaccine shows promise
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see a substantial opportunity. Wolfe Research estimates the melanoma and broader cancer-vaccine opportunity could reach approximately $9.2 billion, while other analysts have raised ratings and highlighted the long-term potential of intismeran. That has helped shift the investment narrative beyond Moderna’s declining COVID-19 business. MRNA Stock Jumps Past $150
• Positive Sentiment: Broader mRNA validation is supporting sentiment. The FDA’s approval of the first mRNA-based flu vaccine could improve perceptions of mRNA platforms and reinforce the value of related intellectual property, although the approval is not itself a direct Moderna product catalyst. FDA Approves First mRNA-Based Flu Vaccine
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading momentum is amplifying the move. A reported “Power Inflow” signal and unusually heavy volume indicate strong buying interest, but these technical indicators do not establish the vaccine’s long-term commercial value. Moderna Shares Rise After Trading Signal
• Negative Sentiment: Investors face significant execution and valuation risks. The cancer-vaccine evidence remains limited, and broader adoption could be constrained by manufacturing complexity, regulatory requirements, cost, competition and the need for additional data. Analysts also caution that Moderna’s pipeline and financial outlook remain challenging outside this program. Explainer on the Merck-Moderna Cancer Vaccine
• Negative Sentiment: Profit-taking and geopolitical concerns could increase volatility. Moderna previously fell as traders locked in gains after its extraordinary advance. CEO Stéphane Bancel also warned that China is investing heavily in biotechnology and mRNA, creating a potential long-term competitive threat. Moderna CEO Warns About China’s mRNA Investment

Moderna Price Performance

MRNA stock opened at $158.83 on Wednesday. Moderna, Inc. has a one year low of $22.28 and a one year high of $176.66. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $72.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $57.69. The stock has a market cap of $63.41 billion, a PE ratio of -19.88 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 2.18.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.03) by $0.06. Moderna had a negative return on equity of 28.30% and a negative net margin of 141.43%.The business had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $102.93 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($2.13) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.