Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Stock Price Up 3% – Should You Buy?

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) rose 3% during trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $218.16 and last traded at $214.17. Approximately 11,910,226 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 6% from the average daily volume of 12,682,081 shares. The stock had previously closed at $207.97.

More Moderna News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Stéphane Bancel told The Wall Street Journal that the melanoma vaccine’s results could improve with longer follow-up and argued that Moderna’s technology and manufacturing expertise would be difficult for competitors to replicate. He also expressed confidence that the platform could support cancer vaccines beyond melanoma. Moderna CEO cancer vaccine comments
• Positive Sentiment: Detailed Phase 3 data presented at ESMO and accepted for publication in the New England Journal of Medicine provided additional validation for Moderna and Merck’s individualized mRNA vaccine combined with KEYTRUDA. The treatment significantly reduced melanoma recurrence and distant metastasis, supporting the long-term value of the oncology pipeline. Moderna Phase 3 melanoma vaccine validation
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention is shifting toward the company’s upcoming financial results. Analysts and investors want evidence that Moderna’s revenue outlook, cost controls, and cash position can support the elevated expectations created by the recent oncology rally. Moderna ESMO and Q3 outlook
• Negative Sentiment: William Blair downgraded MRNA from Outperform to Market Perform, citing valuation after the stock’s substantial rally. The downgrade reinforces concerns that much of the cancer-vaccine opportunity may already be reflected in the share price, even though the firm did not necessarily dispute the scientific potential. William Blair valuation downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: The Phase 3 melanoma results showed meaningful benefits but reportedly fell short of the market’s highest expectations, creating uncertainty over the vaccine’s ultimate commercial value and contributing to recent volatility. Merck and Moderna cancer vaccine results

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MRNA. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Loop Capital set a $135.00 price objective on Moderna in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Citigroup restated a “sell” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Berenberg Bank lifted their target price on Moderna from $45.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Finally, William Blair lowered Moderna from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Moderna currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $107.10.

Moderna Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $85.50 billion, a P/E ratio of -26.80 and a beta of 1.09. The business’s fifty day moving average is $176.73 and its 200 day moving average is $83.73. The company has a current ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.03) by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $145.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($2.13) earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.11 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Moderna

In other news, CFO Jamey Mock sold 34,836 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total transaction of $4,685,093.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,985,343.75. The trade was a 36.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Shannon Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.95, for a total value of $485,766.45. Following the sale, the insider owned 74,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,374,353.55. The trade was a 4.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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. Insiders sold a total of 197,251 shares of company stock valued at $33,875,904 in the last three months. 10.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moderna

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRNA. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Moderna during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,142,877,000. Theleme Partners LLP acquired a new position in shares of Moderna in the 2nd quarter valued at about $564,272,000. Merck & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Moderna in the second quarter worth approximately $161,642,545. Bamco Inc. NY purchased a new stake in shares of Moderna in the second quarter worth approximately $139,317,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna during the second quarter worth approximately $119,168,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.33% of the company’s stock.

About Moderna

Moderna, Inc is a biotechnology company that develops medicines and vaccines using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. Its platform is designed to instruct cells to produce proteins that can stimulate immune responses or support the treatment of disease. The company’s research programs span infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, autoimmune conditions and other therapeutic areas.

Moderna’s commercial products include Spikevax, an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, and mRESVIA, an mRNA vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in older adults.