Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Upgraded to Outperform at William Blair

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) was upgraded by stock analysts at William Blair from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on MRNA. UBS Group reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Moderna from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Moderna from $49.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Friday, June 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $42.13.

Moderna Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:MRNA opened at $62.96 on Wednesday. Moderna has a 1-year low of $22.28 and a 1-year high of $85.60. 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 stock has a market cap of $25.14 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.88 and a beta of 0.91. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $62.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $53.94.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $102.93 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($2.13) earnings per share. Moderna’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Moderna will post -6.2 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Moderna

In related news, Director Noubar Afeyan sold 9,263 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director owned 3,924 shares in the company, valued at $183,800.16. This trade represents a 70.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, President Stephen Hoge sold 53,336 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.37, for a total value of $2,739,870.32. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 1,483,848 shares in the company, 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. Insiders have sold a total of 66,070 shares of company stock worth $3,347,299 over the last ninety days. 10.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Moderna

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in Moderna during the second quarter worth $28,000. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Moderna in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Canton Hathaway LLC acquired a new stake in Moderna in the first quarter valued at $31,000. Archer Investment Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Moderna during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Moderna by 148.3% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,341 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 801 shares in the last quarter. 75.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Moderna News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Landmark melanoma trial succeeded: Moderna and Merck said their Phase 3 INTerpath-001 study met its primary endpoint for recurrence-free survival and its key endpoint for distant metastasis-free survival. The individualized mRNA-based neoantigen therapy, intismeran autogene (V940/mRNA-4157), combined with Merck’s KEYTRUDA, reduced the risk of melanoma returning or spreading compared with KEYTRUDA alone in patients with completely resected, high-risk Stage IIB-IV melanoma. This is the first positive late-stage trial for an mRNA cancer vaccine and significantly strengthens Moderna’s oncology pipeline. Reuters: Merck, Moderna say melanoma skin cancer vaccine meets goals in large trial
• Positive Sentiment: Potentially important commercial opportunity: Investors view the positive Phase 3 results as validation of Moderna’s personalized cancer-vaccine platform and a possible future source of substantial oncology revenue. The companies plan to provide additional data at a medical meeting and discuss regulatory submissions, although the treatment remains investigational. CNBC: Personalized cancer vaccine from Moderna, Merck shows promise in first late-stage melanoma trial
• Positive Sentiment: First FDA-approved mRNA flu vaccine: The FDA approved Moderna’s mFLUSIVA (mRNA-1010), giving the company a commercial product in seasonal influenza and expanding its respiratory-vaccine portfolio. The launch could support future growth, though market adoption, competition with conventional flu shots and seasonal strain-selection timing remain important execution risks. FDA Approves Moderna’s mFLUSIVA
• Neutral Sentiment: The melanoma announcement consists of positive topline results; investors still await detailed efficacy, safety and durability data, as well as regulatory review and approval. Moderna continues to report losses, so the stock’s valuation will depend on whether these pipeline successes translate into sustained sales and improved profitability.

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.