Rothschild & Co Redburn Downgrades Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) to Sell

Key Points

• Rothschild & Co Redburn downgraded Moderna to “sell” from “neutral” and set an $81 price target, implying 46.29% downside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Moderna has an average “hold” rating and a consensus price target of $76.72, based on seven buys, 12 holds and five sells.
• Moderna continues to post losses but exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting revenue of $145 million and adjusted EPS of negative $1.97; analysts forecast full-year EPS of negative $6.09.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Rothschild & Co Redburn from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating in a report released on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have a $81.00 price objective on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn's price objective indicates a potential downside of 46.29% from the stock's previous close.

MRNA has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Bradesco Corretora upgraded Moderna to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 28th. Brookline Capital Markets reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Loop Capital set a $135.00 price objective on Moderna in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. UBS Group lowered Moderna from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, William Blair started coverage on Moderna in a research note on Friday, August 28th. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Moderna has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $76.72.

Moderna Stock Performance

Shares of MRNA stock opened at $150.81 on Thursday. 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 50-day moving average of $82.40 and a 200-day moving average of $62.12. Moderna has a one year low of $22.28 and a one year high of $176.66. The company has a market cap of $60.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -18.87 and a beta of 1.10.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $102.93 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($2.13) earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Moderna will post -6.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Moderna news, President Stephen Hoge sold 53,336 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.37, for a total transaction of $2,739,870.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the president directly owned 1,483,848 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $76,225,271.76. This represents a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 10.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moderna

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Moderna during the first quarter worth about $415,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Moderna by 732.7% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,575 shares of the company's stock worth $328,000 after buying an additional 10,185 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association bought a new position in Moderna in the 1st quarter worth approximately $230,000. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in Moderna by 58.7% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 23,547 shares of the company's stock valued at $668,000 after buying an additional 8,706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in Moderna by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 48,859 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,348,000 after buying an additional 2,410 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.33% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna and Merck’s phase 3 melanoma data strengthened the investment case for Intismeran, the companies’ individualized cancer vaccine. The 50/50 partnership gives Moderna access to Merck’s commercial infrastructure, although the longer-term upside depends on expanding the therapy beyond melanoma into additional tumor types. Moderna: Massive Asymmetry About What The mRNA Is!
• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approval of a new adult mRNA flu vaccine adds a commercial opportunity and reinforces Moderna’s position in mRNA vaccine technology. The approval, together with the melanoma results, helped drive recent investor interest. Moderna Stock Climbs Following Melanoma Trial Success and Vaccine Approval
• Positive Sentiment: Brookline Capital Markets raised its EPS forecasts for the third and fourth quarters of 2026, fiscal 2026, fiscal 2027 and fiscal 2028, while maintaining a Buy rating. Its forecast now turns profitable in 2028, with estimated EPS of $0.62. Moderna analyst estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Heavy short interest and unusually high call-option activity are supporting a potential short-squeeze narrative. Recent call purchases exceeded average daily volume, indicating speculative bullish positioning. 15 Stocks to Watch With Short Squeeze Potential

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.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source