Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-four analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have issued a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $76.7222.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on MRNA shares. Citigroup lifted their price target on Moderna from $41.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Moderna from $67.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Argus raised shares of Moderna from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, August 28th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Moderna from $48.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 24th.

Key Headlines Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna and Merck reported that the Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial of intismeran autogene plus Keytruda met its primary recurrence-free-survival endpoint in resected stage IIB–IV melanoma. It was the first positive Phase 3 result for an mRNA-based cancer therapy and strengthens Moderna’s long-term oncology outlook, although detailed data have not yet been released. Moderna melanoma trial article
• Positive Sentiment: Technical analysts describe the recent consolidation as a potential bullish pennant following the cancer-vaccine-driven breakout. Elevated short interest could provide additional buying pressure if the shares break above resistance. Moderna technical forecast
• Neutral Sentiment: Chief Legal Officer Shannon Klinger sold 3,471 shares for approximately $486,000 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover tax withholding tied to vested equity awards. Because the transaction was planned and tax-related, it provides limited insight into management’s view of Moderna’s valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: Rothschild & Co. Redburn downgraded Moderna from Neutral to Sell, saying the cancer-vaccine rally has made the stock overvalued. The firm raised its price target to $81 from $40, but the new target remains well below recent trading levels, intensifying profit-taking concerns. Rothschild Moderna downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: GSK is advancing an mRNA influenza vaccine toward Phase 3 after reporting stronger immune responses in Phase 2. The competing program could challenge Moderna’s newly approved mFlusiva and increase pressure on its commercial vaccine pipeline. GSK mRNA flu vaccine competition

Insider Activity at Moderna

In other Moderna news, insider Shannon Klinger sold 3,471 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.95, for a total value of $485,766.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 74,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,374,353.55. This trade represents a 4.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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, President Stephen Hoge sold 53,336 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 10.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moderna

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Moderna during the 1st quarter valued at about $415,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Moderna by 732.7% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $328,000 after purchasing an additional 10,185 shares during the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association bought a new position in Moderna during the first quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in Moderna by 58.7% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 23,547 shares of the company’s stock valued at $668,000 after purchasing an additional 8,706 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Moderna by 5.2% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 48,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,348,000 after purchasing an additional 2,410 shares during the period. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Moderna Price Performance

MRNA stock opened at $145.55 on Monday. Moderna has a twelve month low of $22.28 and a twelve month high of $176.66. The company has a quick ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 2.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a market cap of $58.11 billion, a PE ratio of -18.22 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50 day moving average of $85.75 and a 200 day moving average of $63.60.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $102.93 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($2.13) earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Moderna will post -6.09 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.