Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $76.72

Shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-four research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $76.72.

MRNA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Moderna in a research report on Friday, August 28th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Friday. Bank of America raised Moderna from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Moderna from $39.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd.

Key Moderna News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor attention is focused on Moderna’s personalized cancer-vaccine program with Merck. The Phase 3 INTerpath-001 melanoma trial reportedly met key endpoints, improving recurrence-free and distant metastasis-free survival compared with KEYTRUDA alone. The companies are expected to present the data at a major medical meeting and share it with regulators, potentially supporting future filings. Moderna Rises as Cancer-Vaccine Momentum and Pipeline Visibility Stay in Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna stock is trading higher ahead of upcoming clinical-trial data, including late-stage cancer-vaccine updates expected at ESMO. The potential for a successful oncology launch is helping investors view Moderna as a broader mRNA platform company rather than a COVID-focused vaccine maker. Moderna Stock Reached New 52-Week High: What’s Happening?
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Moderna is holding high-level investment discussions with the United Arab Emirates have added speculation about a potential strategic investment or partnership, contributing to the stock’s recent multi-year highs. Moderna Inc. Holds High-Level Investment Talks With UAE
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity is bullish-leaning, with call-option volume substantially above its average. This suggests increased short-term speculation around upcoming data and catalysts, although it does not guarantee further gains.
• Neutral Sentiment: The FDA’s approval of an mRNA flu vaccine for older adults provides broader validation for the technology and could support Moderna’s respiratory-vaccine opportunity, though the immediate financial benefit to Moderna is not yet clear. The First mRNA Flu Vaccine Is Now Available for Older Adults
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation risk has increased after the sharp rally. Some published analyst targets remain far below the current market price, while Moderna continues to report losses and analysts expect a negative full-year EPS result.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider activity has consisted entirely of sales, including substantial transactions by senior executives. Continued insider selling could weigh on sentiment, particularly after the stock’s rapid appreciation.

Insider Activity at Moderna

In other Moderna news, President Stephen Hoge sold 40,294 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.13, for a total value of $5,807,574.22. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 1,525,858 shares in the company, valued at $219,921,913.54. The trade was a 2.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Shannon Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.95, for a total transaction of $485,766.45. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 74,129 shares in the company, valued at $10,374,353.55. This represents a 4.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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. Insiders sold 118,882 shares of company stock valued at $16,862,280 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Moderna in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Canton Hathaway LLC acquired a new position in Moderna in the first quarter worth $31,000. Archer Investment Corp bought a new stake in shares of Moderna during the second quarter worth $36,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Moderna by 35.1% during the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 801 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Moderna during the second quarter worth $45,000. 75.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moderna Stock Performance

Shares of Moderna stock opened at $198.88 on Friday. Moderna has a 52-week low of $22.28 and a 52-week high of $202.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.40 billion, a PE ratio of -24.89 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 2.18. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $111.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $74.95.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.03) by $0.06. Moderna had a negative net margin of 141.43% and a negative return on equity of 28.30%. The firm had revenue of $145.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $102.93 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($2.13) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Moderna will post -6.09 EPS for the current year.

About Moderna

Moderna, Inc is a biotechnology company that develops messenger RNA (mRNA) medicines and vaccines. Its platform is designed to provide cells with instructions to produce proteins that may help prevent or treat infectious diseases, cancer and other medical conditions.

The company’s commercial products include Spikevax, an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, and mRESVIA, an mRNA vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in older adults. Moderna also maintains a pipeline of investigational programs in areas such as seasonal influenza, cytomegalovirus, oncology and rare diseases.

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Moderna serves markets in the United States and internationally through regulatory approvals, commercial partnerships and distribution arrangements.