Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Trading 7.2% Higher Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA)’s share price was up 7.2% on Friday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as high as $44.57 and last traded at $43.0150. Approximately 3,985,118 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 12,994,413 shares. The stock had previously closed at $40.11.

The company reported ($2.11) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($2.79) by $0.68. The firm had revenue of $678.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $611.14 million. Moderna had a negative return on equity of 29.81% and a negative net margin of 139.61%.The company’s revenue was down 33.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned ($2.91) earnings per share.

Key Moderna News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — Moderna posted a narrower-than-expected GAAP loss ($2.11/sh) and revenue that exceeded consensus ($678M), driven in part by U.S. COVID-19 vaccine sales; the beats helped calm near-term earnings concerns. Moderna (MRNA) Reports Q4 Loss, Beats Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Company reiterates growth target and provides 2026 revenue view — Moderna reiterated a plan to target ~10% revenue growth and issued a revenue guide centered around ~$2.1B for FY2026, signalling management expects commercial recovery and expense discipline. Moderna Narrows Loss, Reiterates 10% Revenue Growth Target
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline and operational milestones — Moderna reported full enrollment in its Norovirus Phase 3 study, completion of other oncology/rare-disease cohorts (intismeran Phase 2 enrollment), and international regulatory filings for its flu vaccine (EU/Canada/Australia), which preserve non-U.S. commercialization paths. Press Release — Q4 and FY2025 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage and price targets vary — Barclays initiated coverage with an Equal Weight and a $25 price target, reflecting cautious sector views despite improving biotech outlooks; analyst sentiment remains mixed and could temper upside. Barclays Starts Moderna Neutral
• Negative Sentiment: Major FDA setback for U.S. flu approval — The FDA issued a Refusal-to-File for Moderna’s mRNA-1010 seasonal influenza BLA, citing trial-comparator design issues; Moderna has requested a Type A meeting but the RTF raises uncertainty about U.S. timing and revenue potential for the flu program. FDA refuses Moderna’s application for new mRNA flu vaccine
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk has pressured shares historically — The FDA RTF earlier triggered sizable sell-offs and revived questions about the firm’s ability to convert its seasonal vaccine pipeline into U.S. revenue, keeping upside contingent on regulatory clarity. Analysis — FDA RTF Derails mRNA-1010

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MRNA. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Moderna from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Monday, January 19th. Wolfe Research reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $17.00 target price on shares of Moderna in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Monday, January 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $28.77.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Noubar Afeyan sold 23,853 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.48, for a total transaction of $703,186.44. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $115,679.52. This represents a 85.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 10.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Moderna

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MRNA. Norges Bank bought a new position in Moderna during the second quarter valued at approximately $94,910,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Moderna by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,708,705 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,150,743,000 after acquiring an additional 1,312,192 shares in the last quarter. Legal Advantage Investments Inc. bought a new position in shares of Moderna during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,244,000. Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Moderna by 2.4% in the second quarter. Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. now owns 918,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,333,000 after purchasing an additional 21,765 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp purchased a new position in shares of Moderna in the third quarter valued at $2,351,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.33% of the company’s stock.

Moderna Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $16.77 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.32 and a beta of 1.32. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $36.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $29.81.

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.