Rafferty Asset Management LLC Cuts Position in Moderna, Inc. $MRNA

Rafferty Asset Management LLC lowered its position in Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) by 3.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 380,932 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,667 shares during the quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.10% of Moderna worth $9,839,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Moderna during the 1st quarter worth about $415,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Moderna by 732.7% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $328,000 after purchasing an additional 10,185 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in Moderna in the first quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in Moderna by 58.7% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 23,547 shares of the company’s stock worth $668,000 after purchasing an additional 8,706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its position in shares of Moderna by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 93,662 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,584,000 after buying an additional 4,166 shares during the last quarter. 75.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Moderna News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CHMP recommended marketing authorization for mCOMBRIAX, making it the first mRNA COVID‑flu combo to receive a positive EU opinion — expands Moderna’s vaccine portfolio and opens an EU commercial market for a single‑dose respiratory vaccine for older adults. Moderna gets EU regulator nod for combined COVID, flu vaccine
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna and its CEO highlighted the CHMP’s “rigorous scientific review,” a credibility boost that may ease rollout and payer discussions in Europe. After CHMP nod, Moderna CEO applauds EU’s ‘rigorous scientific review’
• Neutral Sentiment: The FDA has said it will review Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine data, signalling a potential U.S. pathway but not an immediate approval — positive for long‑term TAM but uncertain timing. FDA to review Moderna mRNA flu vaccine
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage notes (WSJ/The Hill) underscore the EU recommendation amid ongoing U.S. scrutiny of Moderna — regulatory wins abroad may offset domestic challenges but don’t eliminate U.S. uncertainty. Moderna’s Covid-Flu Vaccine Recommended for Approval in EU
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: President Stephen Hoge recently sold ~160,009 shares (disclosed filing), which some investors view as a near‑term negative signal on insider conviction. Insider Selling: Moderna President Sells 160,009 Shares

Moderna Stock Up 3.6%

Shares of Moderna stock opened at $53.57 on Monday. Moderna, Inc. has a one year low of $22.28 and a one year high of $55.20. The company has a market cap of $21.16 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.37 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 3.22 and a current ratio of 3.29. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $41.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.38.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The company reported ($2.11) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.79) by $0.68. The business had revenue of $678.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $611.14 million. Moderna had a negative net margin of 145.16% and a negative return on equity of 30.15%. The business’s revenue was down 33.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($2.91) earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Moderna, Inc. will post -9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MRNA shares. Morgan Stanley set a $30.00 price target on shares of Moderna in a research note on Monday, February 16th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $17.00 target price on shares of Moderna in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Berenberg Bank set a $28.00 target price on Moderna in a research report on Monday, November 17th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Moderna in a research note on Monday, February 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Moderna from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $31.87.

Insider Activity at Moderna

In other news, Director Noubar Afeyan sold 23,853 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $115,679.52. This represents a 85.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, President Stephen Hoge sold 160,009 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.84, for a total value of $7,814,839.56. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 1,457,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,180,734.68. This represents a 9.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 184,366 shares of company stock worth $8,531,936 in the last quarter. 10.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Moderna 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.