Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Now Covered by Analysts at Barclays

Equities researchers at Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday. The firm set an “equal weight” rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Barclays‘s price target suggests a potential downside of 44.99% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Moderna from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Monday, October 20th. BMO Capital Markets raised Moderna from a “market perform” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Monday, January 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Moderna has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $30.36.

Moderna Stock Down 5.3%

NASDAQ:MRNA opened at $45.45 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $17.76 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.63 and a beta of 1.17. Moderna has a 52 week low of $22.28 and a 52 week high of $55.20. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $32.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.94.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.51) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($2.15) by $1.64. Moderna had a negative net margin of 139.61% and a negative return on equity of 29.81%. The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $893.29 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.03 EPS. Moderna’s revenue was down 45.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Moderna will post -9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Noubar Afeyan sold 23,853 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.48, for a total transaction of $703,186.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $115,679.52. The trade was a 85.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 10.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Moderna

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of Moderna by 39.7% in 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 during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in Moderna by 19.0% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,347 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Moderna by 2.6% during the second quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. now owns 14,892 shares of the company’s stock worth $411,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares in the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank lifted its position in shares of Moderna by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 65,458 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,806,000 after buying an additional 408 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its position in shares of Moderna by 94.1% during the 2nd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 920 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 446 shares during the last quarter. 75.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Moderna Company 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.