Van ECK Associates Corp Cuts Stake in Moderna, Inc. $MRNA

Van ECK Associates Corp cut its stake in shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) by 18.8% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 200,116 shares of the company’s stock after selling 46,315 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Moderna were worth $14,014,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of MRNA. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Moderna in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $415,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Moderna by 732.7% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $328,000 after purchasing an additional 10,185 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association bought a new position in shares of Moderna during the first quarter valued at $230,000. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in shares of Moderna by 58.7% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 23,547 shares of the company’s stock valued at $668,000 after acquiring an additional 8,706 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Moderna by 5.2% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 48,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,348,000 after acquiring an additional 2,410 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.33% of the company’s stock.

Moderna Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of MRNA stock opened at $140.34 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $60.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.03 billion, a PE ratio of -17.56 and a beta of 0.91. Moderna, Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.28 and a 52-week high of $176.66.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Argus raised shares of Moderna from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Moderna in a report on Friday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Moderna from $40.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Wolfe Research raised Moderna from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $135.00 price objective on Moderna in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $80.53.

Moderna News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna and Merck reported encouraging results from their cancer-vaccine collaboration, supporting Moderna’s strategy to expand beyond COVID-19 vaccines into personalized oncology treatments. The results have attracted positive attention from market commentator Jim Cramer and helped drive investor enthusiasm. Jim Cramer Called Moderna Inc. and Merck’s Trial Results Encouraging
• Positive Sentiment: Recent clinical evidence has provided a major boost to the broader mRNA sector after a difficult period for the technology. Coverage highlights the potential medical and commercial significance of Moderna’s cancer-vaccine work, particularly as the company seeks to establish growth drivers beyond respiratory vaccines. After a Rough Stretch, mRNA Gets a Boost
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna received FDA approval for updated Spikevax and mNEXSPIKE COVID-19 vaccines targeting the latest SARS-CoV-2 subvariant, as well as mFlusiva, its first mRNA influenza vaccine for adults aged 50 and older. The approvals broaden its respiratory portfolio and could improve the company’s long-term commercial opportunity in seasonal vaccines. What Do Moderna FDA Vaccine Approvals Mean for Its Respiratory Push?
• Positive Sentiment: Argus upgraded Moderna to “Buy,” adding a more bullish analyst view following the company’s clinical and regulatory developments. Argus Upgrades Moderna to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading volume increased significantly after the analyst upgrade, indicating heightened investor interest and strong momentum in MRNA shares. However, heavy activity can also reflect short-term speculation following the stock’s steep rally. Moderna Sees Large Volume Increase After Analyst Upgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts overall maintain an average “Hold” rating, signaling that Wall Street remains cautious despite the recent clinical progress. The stock’s rapid appreciation has also raised concerns about valuation and the risk of profit-taking if additional trial results do not meet high expectations. Moderna Receives Average Rating of Hold

Insider Activity at Moderna

In other Moderna news, insider Shannon Thyme Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 4.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 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, 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 transaction of $2,739,870.32. Following the sale, the president owned 1,483,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,225,271.76. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 10.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Moderna 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.