Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Stock Rating Upgraded by William Blair

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) was upgraded by William Blair from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Moderna from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Moderna from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Moderna from $49.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Moderna from $41.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $42.13.

Moderna Stock Performance

Shares of Moderna stock opened at $62.96 on Wednesday. Moderna has a 52 week low of $22.28 and a 52 week high of $85.60. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $62.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $53.94. The firm has a market cap of $25.14 billion, a PE ratio of -7.88 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a quick ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 2.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last posted its 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. The firm had revenue of $145.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $102.93 million. Moderna had a negative net margin of 141.43% and a negative return on equity of 28.30%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($2.13) EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Moderna will post -6.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Moderna news, President Stephen Hoge sold 53,336 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.37, for a total value of $2,739,870.32. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 1,483,848 shares in the company, valued at $76,225,271.76. This represents a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Noubar Afeyan sold 9,263 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director owned 3,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $183,800.16. This represents a 70.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 66,070 shares of company stock worth $3,347,299 over the last 90 days. 10.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moderna

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in Moderna in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Moderna in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Canton Hathaway LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Moderna in the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. Archer Investment Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 801 shares during the period. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Landmark melanoma trial succeeded: Moderna and Merck said their Phase 3 INTerpath-001 study met its primary endpoint for recurrence-free survival and its key endpoint for distant metastasis-free survival. The individualized mRNA-based neoantigen therapy, intismeran autogene (V940/mRNA-4157), combined with Merck’s KEYTRUDA, reduced the risk of melanoma returning or spreading compared with KEYTRUDA alone in patients with completely resected, high-risk Stage IIB-IV melanoma. This is the first positive late-stage trial for an mRNA cancer vaccine and significantly strengthens Moderna’s oncology pipeline. Reuters: Merck, Moderna say melanoma skin cancer vaccine meets goals in large trial
• Positive Sentiment: Potentially important commercial opportunity: Investors view the positive Phase 3 results as validation of Moderna’s personalized cancer-vaccine platform and a possible future source of substantial oncology revenue. The companies plan to provide additional data at a medical meeting and discuss regulatory submissions, although the treatment remains investigational. CNBC: Personalized cancer vaccine from Moderna, Merck shows promise in first late-stage melanoma trial
• Positive Sentiment: First FDA-approved mRNA flu vaccine: The FDA approved Moderna’s mFLUSIVA (mRNA-1010), giving the company a commercial product in seasonal influenza and expanding its respiratory-vaccine portfolio. The launch could support future growth, though market adoption, competition with conventional flu shots and seasonal strain-selection timing remain important execution risks. FDA Approves Moderna’s mFLUSIVA
• Neutral Sentiment: The melanoma announcement consists of positive topline results; investors still await detailed efficacy, safety and durability data, as well as regulatory review and approval. Moderna continues to report losses, so the stock’s valuation will depend on whether these pipeline successes translate into sustained sales and improved profitability.

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.