Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Shares Down 2% Following Insider Selling

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) traded down 2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $141.16 and last traded at $143.77. 8,229,730 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 29% from the average daily volume of 11,597,177 shares. The stock had previously closed at $146.69.

Specifically, CFO Jamey Mock sold 34,836 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total value of $4,685,093.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,985,343.75. This trade represents a 36.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Moderna from $39.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. UBS Group set a $81.00 target price on Moderna in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. CLSA upgraded Moderna to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Bradesco Corretora upgraded Moderna to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered Moderna from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $40.00 to $81.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Moderna currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.72.

Trending Headlines about Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna’s AI-driven personalized cancer-vaccine program with Merck reportedly cleared a Phase 3 test. The approach uses tumor analysis to help identify an individualized treatment, potentially giving Moderna a major growth opportunity beyond declining COVID-19 vaccine demand. Moderna’s AI-Built Cancer Vaccine Clears Phase 3 With Merck
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are increasingly viewing cancer vaccines and Moderna’s broader mRNA pipeline as potential drivers of a post-COVID turnaround. The company also has commercial products in COVID-19 and RSV and programs targeting influenza, CMV, oncology and rare diseases. Is Cancer the Turnaround Moderna Has Been Looking for Post-COVID?
• Positive Sentiment: Updated COVID shots and new mRNA vaccines are rolling out ahead of flu season, providing some near-term support for Moderna’s seasonal vaccine business. Florida pharmacies roll out new mRNA vaccines
• Neutral Sentiment: Moderna recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, including revenue of $145 million versus a $102.9 million consensus estimate, but analysts still expect a full-year loss of approximately $6.09 per share. Moderna financial data
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinions remain divided. Moderna has Buy, Hold and Sell ratings, while the reported consensus rating is Hold, reflecting uncertainty about the pace of its turnaround after the pandemic. Moderna analyst ratings
• Negative Sentiment: CFO James Mock sold 34,836 shares worth approximately $4.7 million, reducing his direct ownership by about 37%. Because the transaction was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, it is a limited bearish signal, but it may still weigh on sentiment. SEC insider-trading filing
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s sharp recovery has lifted expectations and increased sensitivity to profit-taking. Moderna remains unprofitable, with a negative net margin, while competing drugmakers are also pursuing cancer-vaccine opportunities. Cancer vaccine competition

Moderna Stock Down 2.0%

The company has a current ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a market capitalization of $57.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.99 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $93.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $67.53.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 in the prior year, the company posted ($2.13) EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.09 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moderna

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MRNA. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in Moderna by 17.0% in the 2nd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 7,653 shares of the company’s stock valued at $536,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in Moderna by 208.0% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 2,947 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Moderna by 149.3% during the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 11,918 shares of the company’s stock worth $835,000 after purchasing an additional 7,137 shares in the last quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Moderna during the second quarter worth $243,000. Finally, Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Moderna during the second quarter worth $268,000. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moderna Company Profile

Moderna, Inc is a biotechnology company that develops messenger RNA (mRNA) medicines and vaccines. Its platform is designed to provide cells with instructions to produce proteins that may help prevent or treat infectious diseases, cancer and other medical conditions.

The company’s commercial products include Spikevax, an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, and mRESVIA, an mRNA vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in older adults. Moderna also maintains a pipeline of investigational programs in areas such as seasonal influenza, cytomegalovirus, oncology and rare diseases.

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Moderna serves markets in the United States and internationally through regulatory approvals, commercial partnerships and distribution arrangements.