Stephen Hoge Sells 53,336 Shares of Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Stock

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) President Stephen Hoge sold 53,336 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.37, for a total value of $2,739,870.32. Following the sale, the president directly owned 1,483,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,225,271.76. This represents a 3.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Stephen Hoge also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, May 15th, Stephen Hoge sold 53,336 shares of Moderna stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.40, for a total transaction of $2,581,462.40.

Moderna Price Performance

NASDAQ:MRNA opened at $63.96 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $25.38 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.85 and a beta of 1.05. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $50.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.10. Moderna, Inc. has a one year low of $22.28 and a one year high of $67.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.41 and a quick ratio of 2.35.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported ($3.40) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($3.02) by ($0.38). The company had revenue of $389.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $236.37 million. Moderna had a negative return on equity of 26.64% and a negative net margin of 143.55%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 260.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($2.52) EPS. Equities analysts expect that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on MRNA. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Moderna from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Moderna from $43.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Moderna from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Moderna has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $36.60.

Moderna News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: FDA advisers unanimously backed Moderna’s mRNA-1010 flu vaccine, saying the benefits outweigh the risks for older adults, a major de-risking event for a key pipeline asset. Article: US FDA advisers vote in favor of Moderna’s flu vaccine
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna formally said the committee voted 9-0 in favor of the vaccine’s benefit-risk profile, with the FDA PDUFA goal date still set for August 5, keeping a near-term approval catalyst in place. Article: Moderna Announces FDA Advisory Committee Votes Unanimously in Favor of the Benefit-Risk Profile of mRNA-1010
• Positive Sentiment: Earlier FDA briefing documents were viewed as more constructive than feared, easing approval concerns and fueling the recent rally ahead of the vote. Article: MRNA Stock Jumps as FDA Briefing Docs Ease Flu Shot Approval Concerns
• Positive Sentiment: Investors also appear to be reacting to Moderna’s upcoming Science Day on June 25, which could provide more pipeline and strategy updates. Article: Moderna to Host Investor Event – Science Day
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading volume and options activity have been unusually high, suggesting speculative positioning is also amplifying the move. Article: Moderna flu vaccine wins unanimous support from FDA panel
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by President Stephen Hoge may weigh a bit on sentiment, although the sale was made under a pre-arranged trading plan and does not necessarily signal fundamental weakness. Article: Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) President Sells $2,739,870.32 in Stock

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moderna

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Capital World Investors bought a new position in shares of Moderna in the fourth quarter worth $378,299,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new stake in Moderna during the fourth quarter worth about $95,209,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Moderna in the 4th quarter valued at about $79,707,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Moderna by 15.7% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 8,216,163 shares of the company’s stock valued at $212,223,000 after buying an additional 1,115,131 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Moderna by 123.2% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,788,951 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,775,000 after buying an additional 987,312 shares in the last quarter. 75.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.