Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Rating Increased to Buy at Argus

Key Points

• Argus upgraded Moderna from “Hold” to “Buy” and set a $180 price target, implying 26.08% upside from the prior close.
• Despite the upgrade, broader analyst sentiment remains cautious: Moderna has an average “Hold” rating and an average price target of $80.53, based on five Buy, twelve Hold, and three Sell ratings.
• Moderna reported a quarterly loss of $1.97 per share but exceeded expectations, while revenue of $145 million topped estimates; the stock opened at $142.77 and has a 12-month range of $22.28 to $176.66.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Argus from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a $180.00 price target on the stock. Argus' target price points to a potential upside of 26.08% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Moderna from $50.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Brookline Capital Markets reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Barclays raised their target price on Moderna from $48.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Moderna currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $80.53.

Moderna Trading Down 4.6%

Shares of Moderna stock opened at $142.77 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $75.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.17. The company has a market cap of $57.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.87 and a beta of 0.91. 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 has a 12-month low of $22.28 and a 12-month high of $176.66.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($2.03) by $0.06. The business 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 business's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($2.13) EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Moderna will post -6.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Moderna

In other news, insider Shannon Thyme Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $173,550.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 67,468 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,373,400. This trade represents a 4.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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 53,336 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.37, for a total transaction of $2,739,870.32. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 1,483,848 shares of the company's stock, valued at $76,225,271.76. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders own 10.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Moderna in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Archer Investment Corp purchased a new position in Moderna during the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Canton Hathaway LLC bought a new position in shares of Moderna in the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Moderna in the second quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Moderna in the second quarter worth $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.33% of the company's stock.

Key Moderna News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna and Merck reported positive interim Phase 3 results for personalized mRNA cancer vaccine intismeran combined with Keytruda. The therapy significantly improved recurrence-free and distant metastasis-free survival in patients with surgically removed, high-risk melanoma, reportedly reducing recurrence by about 49%. The data provide important clinical validation for Moderna’s oncology strategy. Success after a century of failures: Inside Moderna and Merck's cancer vaccine breakthrough
• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved Moderna’s updated 2026–2027 Spikevax and mNEXSPIKE COVID-19 vaccines, formulated for the XFG subvariant. The approvals preserve Moderna’s access to the U.S. seasonal COVID vaccine market, although commercial demand remains a key uncertainty. Moderna Receives U.S. FDA Approval for Updated 2026-2027 COVID-19 Vaccines
• Neutral Sentiment: Moderna priced $2.6 billion of zero-interest convertible senior notes due 2032, up from the initially proposed $2.0 billion. Proceeds may support oncology investments and debt repayment. The company purchased a hedge overlay designed to offset dilution up to a stock-price cap initially equal to a 175% premium, partially mitigating—but not eliminating—dilution concerns. Moderna Announces Pricing of Upsized $2.6 Billion Offering of Convertible Senior Notes
• Negative Sentiment: The upsized financing adds potential future share dilution and signals that Moderna is raising substantial capital while still reporting losses. Investors may also view the deal as a near-term financing overhang, despite its potential to fund the company’s higher-growth oncology business.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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