Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Price Target Raised to $95.00

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) had its price objective boosted by Morgan Stanley from $89.00 to $95.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on MRNA. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Bank of America raised Moderna from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Brookline Capital Markets reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. William Blair assumed coverage on Moderna in a research report on Friday, August 28th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Moderna currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $78.17.

Moderna Price Performance

Shares of MRNA opened at $225.00 on Wednesday. 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 has a 50 day moving average price of $140.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $84.92. Moderna has a fifty-two week low of $22.28 and a fifty-two week high of $225.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.83 billion, a PE ratio of -28.16 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Insider Transactions at Moderna

In other news, CFO James M. Mock sold 34,836 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 59,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,985,343.75. This trade represents a 36.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Shannon Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.95, for a total value of $485,766.45. Following the transaction, the insider owned 74,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,374,353.55. This trade represents a 4.47% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 118,882 shares of company stock valued at $16,862,280. Corporate insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moderna

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRNA. Merck & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Moderna during the 2nd quarter valued at about $161,642,545. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in Moderna during the first quarter valued at approximately $899,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Moderna in the second quarter valued at approximately $119,168,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Moderna by 1,387.6% in the second quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 24,218 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,696,000 after acquiring an additional 22,590 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new stake in Moderna in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,013,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.33% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cancer-vaccine initiative drives investor enthusiasm: Reports that the NIH plans to expedite cancer-vaccine development, along with details of a planned national effort, led investors to view Moderna as a major potential beneficiary because of its mRNA platform and oncology ambitions. Moderna stock jumps on planned national cancer vaccine effort
• Positive Sentiment: Nasdaq-100 inclusion supports demand: Moderna rejoined the Nasdaq-100, replacing Warner Bros. Discovery. The change may prompt buying by index-tracking funds and increases the company’s visibility with institutional investors after its substantial long-term share-price recovery. Moderna returns to the Nasdaq-100
• Positive Sentiment: Broad biotech rally adds momentum: Vaccine and biotechnology stocks rose broadly, with Moderna among the prominent gainers. Sector-wide strength likely amplified the company-specific rally. Biotech stocks rally
• Neutral Sentiment: Pipeline narrative is expanding beyond COVID-19: Coverage highlighted Moderna’s development of flu vaccines and cancer therapies, reinforcing the company’s strategy to build additional commercial franchises. However, these programs remain dependent on clinical, regulatory and commercial execution. The science and politics of the new mRNA flu vaccine
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution concerns remain: Morgan Stanley maintained a Hold rating, while reports emphasized the challenge of manufacturing a potential cancer franchise at scale. These issues could limit further gains if clinical progress does not translate into sales and profits. Moderna gets a Hold from Morgan Stanley
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling is a cautionary signal: Coverage noted that insiders have trimmed holdings as the stock has surged, potentially signaling profit-taking or caution after the steep rally. Moderna insiders trim holdings

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.