North Dakota State Investment Board Invests $359,000 in Moderna, Inc. $MRNA

North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new position in Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 12,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $359,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in shares of Moderna in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Moderna in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Moderna by 3,775.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 1,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,208 shares during the period. Cromwell Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Moderna by 39.7% in the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 341 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Moderna by 148.3% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,341 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 801 shares in the last quarter. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MRNA shares. Evercore set a $35.00 target price on Moderna in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Morgan Stanley set a $33.00 target price on Moderna in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Moderna from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $45.00 target price on shares of Moderna in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $37.00 target price on Moderna and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Moderna has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $35.73.

More Moderna News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna named James Mock as its new chief financial officer, a move that should help stabilize leadership in a key finance role. James Mock Joins Moderna as Chief Financial Officer
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna and Merck reported five-year data showing their melanoma combination therapy reduced the risk of cancer spreading by 59%, supporting the company’s oncology pipeline. Moderna, Merck cancer combo cuts melanoma spread risk at five years
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with a reported average rating of “Reduce,” suggesting the market still has reservations about near-term execution. Moderna, Inc. Receives Average Rating of “Reduce” from Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: The FDA’s rare advisory panel review of Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine introduces regulatory uncertainty for a program investors had been watching closely. USFDA to Convene Expert Panel Review for Moderna’s mRNA Flu Vaccine
• Negative Sentiment: Related reports said Moderna is facing FDA scrutiny on its flu shot, and the added regulatory review has been a drag on the stock. FDA plans rare advisory hearing to debate Moderna’s flu shot

Moderna Price Performance

MRNA stock opened at $46.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.41. Moderna, Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.28 and a 1 year high of $59.55. The firm has a market cap of $18.60 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.75 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $50.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $41.59.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported ($3.40) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($3.02) by ($0.38). Moderna had a negative net margin of 143.55% and a negative return on equity of 26.64%. The business had revenue of $389.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $236.37 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($2.52) EPS. Moderna’s revenue for the quarter was up 260.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moderna

In other Moderna news, Director Noubar Afeyan sold 9,263 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.84, for a total transaction of $433,878.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,924 shares in the company, valued at $183,800.16. This trade represents a 70.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Abbas Hussain sold 5,682 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.63, for a total value of $264,951.66. Following the sale, the director owned 12,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $562,637.58. This trade represents a 32.01% 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. Insiders sold a total of 228,290 shares of company stock worth $11,095,133 in the last 90 days. 10.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.