Lazard Asset Management LLC Invests $577,000 in Moderna, Inc. $MRNA

Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 11,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $577,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Canton Hathaway LLC bought a new position in shares of Moderna during the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Moderna by 35.1% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 801 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in Moderna during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC bought a new position in Moderna during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Moderna by 148.3% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,341 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 801 shares in the last quarter. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moderna Stock Down 4.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:MRNA opened at $53.86 on Friday. Moderna, Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.28 and a 52 week high of $85.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a current ratio of 2.29. The company’s fifty day moving average is $60.04 and its 200-day moving average is $53.07. The company has a market capitalization of $21.50 billion, a PE ratio of -6.74 and a beta of 0.91.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $145.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $102.93 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($2.13) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MRNA shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Moderna from $41.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Moderna from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $42.13.

Insider Transactions at Moderna

In related news, Director Noubar Afeyan sold 9,263 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.84, for a total transaction of $433,878.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 3,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $183,800.16. This trade represents a 70.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, President Stephen Hoge sold 53,336 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.37, for a total value of $2,739,870.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the president directly owned 1,483,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,225,271.76. This represents a 3.47% 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. Insiders have sold 119,406 shares of company stock valued at $5,928,762 in the last three months. 10.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: FDA approval validates Moderna’s mRNA technology beyond COVID-19 and gives the company a potential new commercial growth driver in the seasonal influenza market. Moderna expects limited supplies to reach select retailers in the coming weeks. US FDA approves first mRNA flu shot from Moderna
• Positive Sentiment: The vaccine expands Moderna’s post-pandemic pipeline and could establish a platform for additional infectious-disease products. The company has also begun Phase 1 human testing of an investigational Ebola vaccine, broadening its longer-term pipeline. Moderna Advances Ebola Vaccine Into Human Testing
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor enthusiasm is being tempered by the vaccine’s initial restriction to adults 50 and older, the presence of established flu-shot competitors, and the fact that commercial availability will begin only gradually. The approval may also have been partly reflected in Moderna’s recent rally and strong year-to-date performance. Moderna Wins Flu Vaccine Approval, Is It Fully Priced?
• Negative Sentiment: The stock fell as traders appeared to “sell the news,” focusing on uncertainty over the vaccine’s near-term sales contribution rather than the approval itself. Moderna continues to face large losses, with analysts forecasting negative earnings for the full year. Moderna Just Got FDA Clearance for Flu Vaccine. The Stock Is Sliding.
• Negative Sentiment: Some brokerages maintain a “Reduce” consensus rating, signaling concerns about valuation, execution and the pace at which Moderna can replace declining COVID-related revenue with products such as mFLUSIVA.

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.