Sankala Group LLC Buys New Position in Moderna, Inc. $MRNA

Sankala Group LLC purchased a new position in Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 8,144 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $240,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MRNA. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in shares of Moderna in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its position in Moderna by 3,775.0% in the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 1,240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 1,208 shares during the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its position in Moderna by 39.7% in the fourth quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 341 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Moderna by 148.3% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,341 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 801 shares during the period. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Noubar Afeyan sold 9,263 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.84, for a total value of $433,878.92. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $183,800.16. This represents a 70.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Shannon Thyme Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $173,550.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 67,468 shares in the company, valued at $3,373,400. This trade represents a 4.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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 quarter, insiders have sold 125,088 shares of company stock worth $6,193,713. Insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: FDA advisers unanimously backed Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine, boosting confidence that the shot could win approval and become a new revenue driver if the agency follows the panel’s recommendation. Article: MRNA Up as Influenza Vaccine Wins Unanimous FDA Advisory Panel Backing
• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment was also helped by reports that Moderna’s shares have been surging on the flu-vaccine catalyst, with some traders positioning for further upside ahead of the FDA’s final ruling. Article: US FDA advisers vote in favor of Moderna’s flu vaccine
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option buying signals that some investors are betting the rally can continue as the FDA review progresses. Article: Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) – Get Free Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Moderna’s president sold shares under a pre-arranged trading plan, which is worth noting but does not necessarily indicate a change in the company’s outlook. Article: Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) President Sells $2,739,870.32 in Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock may stay volatile until the FDA makes its final decision on the flu vaccine by Aug. 5. Article: Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine faces FDA advisory panel scrutiny

Moderna Stock Performance

NASDAQ:MRNA opened at $63.96 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $50.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.23. Moderna, Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.28 and a 1-year high of $67.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.41 and a quick ratio of 2.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.85 and a beta of 1.05.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported ($3.40) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($3.02) by ($0.38). The company had revenue of $389.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $236.37 million. Moderna had a negative net margin of 143.55% and a negative return on equity of 26.64%. Moderna’s revenue was up 260.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($2.52) earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.51 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRNA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Friday, June 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Moderna from $43.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America raised their target price on Moderna from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. Barclays lifted their price target on Moderna from $25.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Moderna presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $36.60.

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.