Virtu Financial LLC Purchases Shares of 82,217 Moderna, Inc. $MRNA

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 82,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,425,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Hamilton Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Moderna during the fourth quarter worth about $3,098,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its position in Moderna by 143.3% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 68,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,013,000 after acquiring an additional 40,202 shares in the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new position in Moderna in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,416,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its position in Moderna by 1,111.0% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 108,650 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,204,000 after purchasing an additional 99,678 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury boosted its position in Moderna by 103.6% in the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 77,015 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,271,000 after purchasing an additional 39,195 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.33% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moderna

In related news, President Stephen Hoge sold 53,336 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.37, for a total transaction of $2,739,870.32. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 1,483,848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 accessible through the SEC website. 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 dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $173,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 67,468 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,373,400. The trade was a 4.89% 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 125,088 shares of company stock valued at $6,193,713. Insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Moderna Stock Performance

NASDAQ MRNA opened at $63.96 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $25.38 billion, a PE ratio of -7.85 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $50.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.23. Moderna, Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.28 and a 1-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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported ($3.40) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($3.02) by ($0.38). Moderna had a negative return on equity of 26.64% and a negative net margin of 143.55%.The firm had revenue of $389.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $236.37 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($2.52) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 260.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MRNA. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $33.00 target price on shares of Moderna in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Bank of America raised their price target 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. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Moderna from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price 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 flu vaccine, boosting confidence that the shot could win approval and become a new revenue driver if the agency follows the panel’s recommendation. Article: MRNA Up as Influenza Vaccine Wins Unanimous FDA Advisory Panel Backing
• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment was also helped by reports that Moderna’s shares have been surging on the flu-vaccine catalyst, with some traders positioning for further upside ahead of the FDA’s final ruling. Article: US FDA advisers vote in favor of Moderna’s flu vaccine
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option buying signals that some investors are betting the rally can continue as the FDA review progresses. Article: Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) – Get Free Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Moderna’s president sold shares under a pre-arranged trading plan, which is worth noting but does not necessarily indicate a change in the company’s outlook. Article: Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) President Sells $2,739,870.32 in Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock may stay volatile until the FDA makes its final decision on the flu vaccine by Aug. 5. Article: Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine faces FDA advisory panel scrutiny

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.