Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Issues Earnings Results

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($2.03) by $0.06, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $102.93 million. Moderna had a negative return on equity of 26.64% and a negative net margin of 143.55%.The company’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($2.13) earnings per share.

Here are the key takeaways from Moderna’s conference call:

• 2026 revenue and cost outlook improved: Moderna reiterated revenue growth of up to 10% and lowered its full-year cost-of-sales and R&D forecasts by $100 million each, while reducing expected cash costs by $200 million to approximately $4 billion.
• Flu vaccine advances toward potential approval: mRNA-1010 received a unanimous positive recommendation from the FDA advisory committee, with a U.S. PDUFA decision expected August 5 and regulatory reviews ongoing in Europe, Canada, and Australia.
• mNEXSPIKE showed strong initial commercial traction: The COVID vaccine captured approximately 24% of the U.S. retail market in its first season and about 34% among adults aged 65 and older, supported by encouraging real-world effectiveness data against hospitalization.
• Norovirus vaccine development faces a delay: mRNA-1403 did not meet statistical criteria for early success at its interim analysis, requiring enrollment of an additional cohort and another seasonal period to collect sufficient cases; the trial remains blinded.
• Pipeline milestones remain active: Moderna expects an interim analysis for the fully enrolled phase III intismeran melanoma study in the second half of 2026 and data from its registrational propionic acidemia study in the fourth quarter, while expanding oncology programs into Lynch syndrome and solid tumors.

Moderna Stock Down 5.4%

NASDAQ MRNA traded down $3.10 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $54.82. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 7,739,845 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,840,786. The company has a market capitalization of $21.75 billion, a PE ratio of -6.73 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Moderna has a 52 week low of $22.28 and a 52 week high of $85.60. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $59.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $52.50.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on MRNA. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Moderna from $25.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Moderna from $49.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Moderna from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Moderna from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Moderna from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $40.00.

Key Stories Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna reported second-quarter EPS of -$1.97, better than the roughly -$2.03 consensus and an improvement from -$2.13 a year earlier. Revenue was approximately $145 million, while management reiterated its plan for up to 10% revenue growth in 2026. Moderna Reports Q2 Loss, Tops Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company improved its 2026 operating-expense outlook by about $200 million and now expects year-end cash of $4.7 billion to $5.2 billion, supporting its effort to reduce cash burn. Moderna also faces a potentially important catalyst on August 5, when regulators are scheduled to decide on its seasonal flu vaccine candidate, mFLUSIVA. Moderna Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading activity showed elevated interest in Moderna call options, with 82,913 contracts acquired versus a typical daily volume of 48,590. This may indicate speculative bullish positioning, but options activity alone does not establish a sustained change in investor sentiment.
• Negative Sentiment: Moderna’s Phase 3 mRNA-1403 norovirus vaccine trial did not meet the statistical criteria for early success at its interim analysis. The company plans to add another participant cohort, extending the trial into a fourth season and delaying clarity on a potential commercial opportunity. Moderna Adds New Cohort to Phase III Vaccine Trial
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about Moderna’s dependence on declining COVID-19 vaccine sales. Although the quarterly loss narrowed, the company still posted a GAAP net loss of about $782 million, and reports characterized revenue as weaker than Wall Street expected. The norovirus setback therefore outweighed the earnings and cost-control improvements. Moderna Misses Quarterly Revenue Estimates on COVID Vaccine Weakness

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Shannon Thyme Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $173,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 67,468 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,373,400. This represents a 4.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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, Director Noubar Afeyan sold 9,263 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.84, for a total value of $433,878.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,924 shares in the company, valued at $183,800.16. This represents a 70.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 119,406 shares of company stock valued at $5,928,762. Corporate insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moderna

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in shares of Moderna in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Moderna by 148.3% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,341 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 801 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Moderna during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. purchased a new position in Moderna during the fourth quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its position in Moderna by 169.4% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,240 shares in the last quarter. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.