Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Stock Falls 6.5% – Here’s Why

Shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) traded down 6.5% during trading on Thursday. The company traded as low as $237.65 and last traded at $241.46. Approximately 11,834,699 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 6% from the average daily volume of 12,625,952 shares. The stock had previously closed at $258.38.

Trending Headlines about Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna reported third-quarter revenue of $1.31 billion, up 29.2% year over year, and earnings of $0.38 per share, far ahead of analysts’ expectations for a loss. Stronger overseas COVID-19 vaccine sales helped drive the results. Reuters report on revenue and demand
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 revenue-growth forecast to 15%–25%, from a prior outlook of up to 10%. The company also said it plans to reduce research and development spending, supporting its near-term financial performance. CNBC outlook report
• Positive Sentiment: Health Canada authorized Moderna’s seasonal flu and flu-COVID combination vaccines for adults 50 and older, opening a potential new market for its mRNA products. CBC report on Canadian approvals
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are also watching prospects for Moderna’s cancer vaccine: CEO Stéphane Bancel said it could have potential beyond melanoma. That adds pipeline excitement, though future commercial value remains uncertain. Yahoo Finance report on cancer vaccine prospects
• Neutral Sentiment: Moderna and GSK settled a patent dispute involving Moderna’s COVID and RSV shots. The settlement removes a source of legal uncertainty, but the available report does not specify its financial terms. Reuters report on patent settlement
• Negative Sentiment: The sharp rally has heightened concerns that expectations for the cancer-vaccine pipeline may be running ahead of near-term revenue potential. Moderna’s longer-term prospects still depend on sustaining vaccine sales and turning pipeline advances into commercial products. Barron’s analysis of Moderna’s earnings and valuation

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Brookline Capital Markets reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $150.00 price target (up from $60.00) on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Loop Capital set a $135.00 price objective on Moderna in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $107.10.

Moderna Trading Up 5.3%

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 company has a market cap of $101.48 billion, a PE ratio of -31.81 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $191.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $91.51.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 6th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.10) by $1.48. Moderna had a negative net margin of 141.43% and a negative return on equity of 28.30%. The business had revenue of $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $890.25 million. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.51) earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 29.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Moderna

In other Moderna news, President Stephen Hoge sold 39,145 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.72, for a total value of $8,640,084.40. Following the sale, the president owned 1,636,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $361,222,626.80. The trade was a 2.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Jamey Mock sold 34,836 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total value of $4,685,093.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 59,375 shares in the company, valued at $7,985,343.75. This trade represents a 36.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 197,251 shares of company stock worth $33,875,904. Insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moderna

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Moderna during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,142,877,000. Theleme Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna during the second quarter worth about $564,272,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Moderna by 4.4% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,461,574 shares of the company’s stock worth $172,384,000 after purchasing an additional 103,977 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Moderna by 59.3% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,392,693 shares of the company’s stock valued at $121,549,000 after purchasing an additional 891,072 shares during the period. Finally, Merck & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Moderna in the second quarter valued at approximately $161,642,545. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.33% of the company’s stock.

Moderna Company Profile

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.

The company’s commercial products include Spikevax, a vaccine against COVID-19, and mRESVIA, a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Moderna also researches potential mRNA-based vaccines and treatments for infectious diseases, cancer, and rare diseases.

Founded in 2010 as Moderna Therapeutics, the company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.