Investors Buy Large Volume of Moderna Call Options (NASDAQ:MRNA)

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) was the target of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Stock investors acquired 102,888 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 55% compared to the average daily volume of 66,531 call options.

Moderna Price Performance

MRNA traded up $0.05 during trading on Thursday, hitting $48.84. 5,280,667 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,542,992. Moderna has a twelve month low of $22.28 and a twelve month high of $59.55. The company has a market cap of $19.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.99 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.41 and a quick ratio of 2.35. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $51.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $39.76.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported ($3.40) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($3.02) by ($0.38). Moderna had a negative net margin of 143.55% and a negative return on equity of 26.64%. The company had revenue of $389.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $236.37 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($2.52) EPS. Moderna’s revenue for the quarter was up 260.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Moderna will post -7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Moderna

In other Moderna news, President Stephen Hoge sold 160,009 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.84, for a total value of $7,814,839.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the president owned 1,457,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,180,734.68. The trade was a 9.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Abbas Hussain sold 5,682 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.63, for a total value of $264,951.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 12,066 shares in the company, valued at $562,637.58. The trade was a 32.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Canton Hathaway LLC acquired a new position in Moderna in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in shares of Moderna by 35.1% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 801 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of Moderna by 39.7% during the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 341 shares in the last quarter. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Moderna News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Peer?reviewed Phase 3 results published in the New England Journal of Medicine show mRNA?1010 outperformed a licensed standard?dose flu vaccine in adults 50+, strengthening Moderna’s vaccine pipeline and supporting potential future sales if approvals follow. Moderna Announces New England Journal of Medicine Publication of Pivotal Phase 3 Clinical Safety and Efficacy Data for Its Investigational Seasonal Influenza Vaccine, mRNA-1010
• Positive Sentiment: Late?stage trial coverage from major outlets highlights the efficacy result and raises confidence in the vaccine’s market potential, which could drive multi?year revenue upside if regulators approve and uptake is strong. Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine outperforms standard shot in late-stage trial
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory submissions are under review in multiple regions with potential approvals expected to begin in 2026 — a positive path but still subject to timing and labeling decisions that determine near?term revenue realization. Moderna Announces New England Journal of Medicine Publication of Pivotal Phase 3 Clinical Safety and Efficacy Data for Its Investigational Seasonal Influenza Vaccine, mRNA-1010
• Positive Sentiment: Broker upgrade/estimate move: Brookline Capital Markets raised its FY2026 EPS loss forecast (less negative), narrowing differences with consensus and reflecting updated expectations around product rollout or margins. This is a modest near?term positive for sentiment. Moderna, Inc. (MRNA) MarketBeat Report
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the favorable data and coverage, the stock gave back early gains — likely due to profit?taking, investors waiting for regulatory clarity and near?term revenue visibility, and lighter trading volume versus the average. That intra?day retracement is pressuring the share price today. Moderna Stock Gives Back Early Gains: What’s Happening?

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRNA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised Moderna from a “market perform” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Moderna from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $37.00 target price on Moderna and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Barclays lifted their price objective on Moderna from $25.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Moderna from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $35.73.

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.