Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Stock Price Up 13.1% – Here’s Why

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) rose 13.1% on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $258.72 and last traded at $258.38. 14,685,154 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 16% from the average session volume of 12,624,256 shares. The stock had previously closed at $228.44.

Key Headlines Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna reported third-quarter revenue of $1.31 billion, up 29.2% year over year, and earnings of $0.38 per share, far ahead of analysts’ expectations for a loss. Stronger overseas COVID-19 vaccine sales helped drive the results. Reuters report on revenue and demand
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 revenue-growth forecast to 15%–25%, from a prior outlook of up to 10%. The company also said it plans to reduce research and development spending, supporting its near-term financial performance. CNBC outlook report
• Positive Sentiment: Health Canada authorized Moderna’s seasonal flu and flu-COVID combination vaccines for adults 50 and older, opening a potential new market for its mRNA products. CBC report on Canadian approvals
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are also watching prospects for Moderna’s cancer vaccine: CEO Stéphane Bancel said it could have potential beyond melanoma. That adds pipeline excitement, though future commercial value remains uncertain. Yahoo Finance report on cancer vaccine prospects
• Neutral Sentiment: Moderna and GSK settled a patent dispute involving Moderna’s COVID and RSV shots. The settlement removes a source of legal uncertainty, but the available report does not specify its financial terms. Reuters report on patent settlement
• Negative Sentiment: The sharp rally has heightened concerns that expectations for the cancer-vaccine pipeline may be running ahead of near-term revenue potential. Moderna’s longer-term prospects still depend on sustaining vaccine sales and turning pipeline advances into commercial products. Barron’s analysis of Moderna’s earnings and valuation

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on MRNA. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Singular Research upgraded shares of Moderna to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. William Blair cut shares of Moderna from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of Moderna in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Moderna from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $107.10.

Moderna Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a current ratio of 2.29. The stock has a market cap of $101.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -31.81 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $191.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $91.51.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 6th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.10) by $1.48. Moderna had a negative return on equity of 28.30% and a negative net margin of 141.43%. The business had revenue of $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $890.25 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.51) earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 29.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO James M. Mock sold 34,836 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total value of $4,685,093.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,985,343.75. This trade represents a 36.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Shannon Klinger sold 3,471 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.95, for a total transaction of $485,766.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 74,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,374,353.55. This represents a 4.47% decrease in their position. 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 197,251 shares of company stock valued at $33,875,904. Corporate insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Moderna

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MRNA. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,142,877,000. Theleme Partners LLP acquired a new stake in Moderna during the second quarter worth approximately $564,272,000. Aberdeen Group plc increased its stake in Moderna by 6,931.1% during the 3rd quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 1,054,306 shares of the company’s stock worth $203,028,000 after acquiring an additional 1,039,311 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Merck & Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in Moderna during the second quarter worth about $161,642,545. Institutional investors own 75.33% of the company’s stock.

About Moderna

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.

The company’s commercial products include Spikevax, a vaccine against COVID-19, and mRESVIA, a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Moderna also researches potential mRNA-based vaccines and treatments for infectious diseases, cancer, and rare diseases.

Founded in 2010 as Moderna Therapeutics, the company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.