Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $60.35 and last traded at $60.0850, with a volume of 4629830 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $55.40.

More Moderna News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: FDA briefing documents for Moderna’s seasonal flu vaccine candidate appear more constructive than investors feared, easing concerns ahead of the June 18 advisory committee meeting and supporting hopes for approval. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: FDA staff reviewers said Moderna’s flu-shot data may support effectiveness in adults age 65 and older, which could strengthen the case for approval and eventual commercialization. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna announced organizational changes, including a new chief commercial officer and expanded responsibilities for President Stephen Hoge, signaling more focus on execution ahead of potential product launches in 2027 and 2028. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Moderna said it will host an Investor Event/Science Day on June 25, which may provide updates on its research pipeline and long-term growth plans. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Reuters reported Moderna is interested in investing in production facilities in Germany, potentially taking advantage of BioNTech plant closures, but this is still an early strategic discussion rather than a confirmed financial catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some reports noted FDA reviewers also raised questions about the evidence package for Moderna’s flu vaccine, so any approval-related gains could face volatility around the upcoming panel vote. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRNA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Moderna from $43.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Moderna from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $33.00 target price on Moderna in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $45.00 target price on shares of Moderna in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Moderna currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $36.60.

Moderna Stock Up 11.4%

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $44.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.50 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.51 and a beta of 1.05. 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) 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 business had revenue of $389.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $236.37 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($2.52) earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 260.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.51 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, President Stephen Hoge sold 53,336 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.40, for a total transaction of $2,581,462.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the president directly owned 1,477,997 shares in the company, valued at $71,535,054.80. This trade represents a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Noubar Afeyan sold 9,263 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.84, for a total value of $433,878.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $183,800.16. This represents a 70.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 71,752 shares of company stock valued at $3,453,843 in the last quarter. 10.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna during the first quarter worth $415,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Moderna by 732.7% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $328,000 after buying an additional 10,185 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in Moderna during the first quarter valued at $230,000. Focus Partners Wealth boosted 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 acquiring an additional 8,706 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,410 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.33% of the company’s stock.

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.