Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Sets New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday after Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on the stock from $36.00 to $40.00. Rothschild & Co Redburn currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Moderna traded as high as $225.63 and last traded at $221.2880, with a volume of 377,183 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $225.00.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on MRNA. Leerink Partners restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $17.00 target price (down from $18.00) on shares of Moderna in a research note on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Citigroup downgraded Moderna from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $60.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Argus upgraded Moderna from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, August 28th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $135.00 price target on Moderna in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Seven investment 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $100.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moderna

In other Moderna news, CFO James M. Mock sold 34,836 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total value of $4,685,093.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,985,343.75. This trade represents a 36.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Shannon Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.95, for a total transaction of $485,766.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 74,129 shares in the company, valued at $10,374,353.55. This trade represents a 4.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 118,882 shares of company stock worth $16,862,280. 10.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor enthusiasm is being driven by encouraging developments around Moderna’s personalized mRNA cancer-vaccine program. Reports of a planned NIH-backed initiative to accelerate personalized cancer vaccines and expand research funding have lifted vaccine stocks, while positive cancer-vaccine results have strengthened expectations for a major future growth opportunity. Vaccine Stocks Rally on Reports of U.S.-led Push for Cancer Vaccines
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna’s addition to the Nasdaq-100 has provided a short-term technical catalyst, likely attracting index-related buying and increasing the stock’s visibility. Shares have gained more than 5% over the past week. MRNA Stock Gains Over $4B in a Week
• Positive Sentiment: Potential additional growth avenues include a new mRNA flu vaccine, which Canadian regulators are reviewing and which could potentially reduce hospitalizations if approved. Health Canada Reviewing New mRNA Flu Vaccine
• Neutral Sentiment: Moderna will report third-quarter 2026 results before the market opens on November 6 and provide a corporate update. The release could become the next major catalyst, particularly for revenue trends, cash use, and pipeline milestones. Moderna to Report Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: The sharp rally has increased valuation concerns. Commentary notes that much of the expected value from Moderna’s oncology and vaccine pipeline may already be reflected in the share price, leaving it vulnerable to profit-taking and disappointment.
• Negative Sentiment: Moderna’s fundamentals remain challenging, with ongoing losses and relatively modest revenue. Recent open-market insider activity has consisted entirely of sales, while several published analyst targets remain far below the current trading level, highlighting downside risk if pipeline optimism fades. Moderna Slides as Investors Digest Recent Surge

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moderna

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Moderna during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Archer Investment Corp purchased a new stake in Moderna during the second quarter worth about $36,000. Canton Hathaway LLC purchased a new stake in Moderna during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Moderna in the second quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new stake in Moderna in the second quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.33% of the company’s stock.

Moderna Stock Performance

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’s 50-day simple moving average is $146.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $87.45.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.03) by $0.06. Moderna had a negative net margin of 141.43% and a negative return on equity of 28.30%. The firm had revenue of $145.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $102.93 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($2.13) EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.11 earnings per share for the current year.

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 help prevent or treat disease, supporting the company’s work across infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, autoimmune conditions, and cardiovascular diseases.

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.