Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Shares Climb 4.6% – Still a Buy?

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) shares were up 4.6% on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $227.09 and last traded at $226.30. 16,501,522 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 34% from the average daily volume of 12,272,371 shares. The stock had previously closed at $216.25.

Key Headlines Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor enthusiasm remains focused on Moderna’s personalized cancer-vaccine program with Merck, with data expected next week. Earlier results have encouraged hopes that the companies’ mRNA vaccine and Keytruda combination could become an important growth opportunity. Merck and Moderna have ‘lot of exploring to do’ after initial cancer vaccine success
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna’s upcoming melanoma and cancer-vaccine updates have continued to attract speculative buying, making the company one of the market’s strongest-performing stocks this year. The pipeline catalyst is the primary reason shares have risen sharply in recent months. Why Did MRNA, KO, V Stocks Climb To 52-Week Highs Today?
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target from $120 to $137 but retained a Neutral rating. The increase acknowledges improved sentiment, while the target remains substantially below the recent trading level, signaling limited confidence that the rally is sustainable. MRNA Stock Hits Fresh 52-Week Highs As Goldman Raises Target Ahead Of Melanoma Data
• Negative Sentiment: Moderna has retreated as investors lock in gains following a rally of more than 650% this year. The decline is part of a broader selloff in vaccine makers, although Moderna has been hit harder than some peers because it had advanced the furthest. Moderna Tumbles 10% as Profit Taking Hits Cancer Vaccine Rally
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts are increasingly cautious because Moderna remains unprofitable, generates negative free cash flow, and is valued largely on successful execution of its future pipeline. Upcoming clinical data, third-quarter earnings and November’s Analyst Day could therefore produce significant volatility. Moderna: Best S&P 500 Stock YTD Could Rally Into YE, But Valuation Is Uncertain

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRNA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Moderna from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. William Blair assumed coverage on Moderna in a research report on Friday, August 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Argus upgraded Moderna from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, August 28th. Finally, Evercore boosted their price target on Moderna from $50.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $101.45.

Moderna Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 2.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.78 billion, a PE ratio of -26.70 and a beta of 1.09. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $153.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $89.98.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($2.03) by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $102.93 million. Moderna had a negative net margin of 141.43% and a negative return on equity of 28.30%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($2.13) EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, President Stephen Hoge sold 40,281 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.07, for a total transaction of $5,883,845.67. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 1,562,029 shares in the company, valued at approximately $228,165,576.03. This represents a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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 that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.95, for a total transaction of $485,766.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 74,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,374,353.55. The trade was a 4.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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 have sold a total of 118,882 shares of company stock worth $16,862,280 in the last three months. Insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moderna

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MRNA. Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Moderna during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Canton Hathaway LLC purchased a new stake in Moderna during the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Archer Investment Corp bought a new position in Moderna in the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Moderna by 35.1% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 801 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in Moderna by 53.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Moderna

Moderna, Inc is a biotechnology company that develops medicines and vaccines using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. Its platform is designed to instruct cells to produce proteins that can help prevent or treat disease, supporting the company’s work across infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, autoimmune conditions, and cardiovascular diseases.

Moderna’s commercial products include Spikevax, an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, and mRESVIA, an mRNA vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in older adults.