Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Hits New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $258.72 and last traded at $258.38, with a volume of 14,674,064 shares. The stock had previously closed at $228.44.

Key Stories Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna reported third-quarter revenue of $1.31 billion, up 29.2% year over year, and earnings of $0.38 per share, far ahead of analysts’ expectations for a loss. Stronger overseas COVID-19 vaccine sales helped drive the results. Reuters report on revenue and demand
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 revenue-growth forecast to 15%–25%, from a prior outlook of up to 10%. The company also said it plans to reduce research and development spending, supporting its near-term financial performance. CNBC outlook report
• Positive Sentiment: Health Canada authorized Moderna’s seasonal flu and flu-COVID combination vaccines for adults 50 and older, opening a potential new market for its mRNA products. CBC report on Canadian approvals
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are also watching prospects for Moderna’s cancer vaccine: CEO Stéphane Bancel said it could have potential beyond melanoma. That adds pipeline excitement, though future commercial value remains uncertain. Yahoo Finance report on cancer vaccine prospects
• Neutral Sentiment: Moderna and GSK settled a patent dispute involving Moderna’s COVID and RSV shots. The settlement removes a source of legal uncertainty, but the available report does not specify its financial terms. Reuters report on patent settlement
• Negative Sentiment: The sharp rally has heightened concerns that expectations for the cancer-vaccine pipeline may be running ahead of near-term revenue potential. Moderna’s longer-term prospects still depend on sustaining vaccine sales and turning pipeline advances into commercial products. Barron’s analysis of Moderna’s earnings and valuation

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Moderna from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 9th. CLSA raised shares of Moderna to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Moderna from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. William Blair lowered Moderna from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 27th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Moderna from $48.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Moderna has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $107.10.

Moderna Trading Up 5.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 2.18. The firm has a market cap of $101.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -31.81 and a beta of 1.16. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $189.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $90.46.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 6th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.10) by $1.48. The firm had revenue of $1.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $890.25 million. Moderna had a negative net margin of 141.43% and a negative return on equity of 28.30%. Moderna’s revenue was up 29.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.51) earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Moderna

In related news, insider Shannon Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.95, for a total transaction of $485,766.45. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 74,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,374,353.55. This represents a 4.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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. Also, President Stephen Hoge sold 39,145 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.72, for a total value of $8,640,084.40. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 1,636,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $361,222,626.80. This trade represents a 2.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 197,251 shares of company stock worth $33,875,904 over the last quarter. 10.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Aberdeen Group plc lifted its stake in shares of Moderna by 6,931.1% in the third quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 1,054,306 shares of the company’s stock valued at $203,028,000 after buying an additional 1,039,311 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Moderna by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,523 shares of the company’s stock worth $871,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Moderna in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $266,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Moderna by 18.9% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 531,893 shares of the company’s stock worth $102,551,000 after acquiring an additional 84,445 shares during the period. Finally, Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $269,000. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Moderna Company Profile

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 help prevent or treat disease.

The company’s commercial products include Spikevax, a vaccine against COVID-19, and mRESVIA, a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Moderna also researches potential mRNA-based vaccines and treatments for infectious diseases, cancer, and rare diseases.

Founded in 2010 as Moderna Therapeutics, the company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.