Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a “Hold” consensus on Moderna, with 13 hold, seven buy and three sell ratings among 23 brokerages. The average 12-month price target is $80.53, well below the reported share price of $137.99.
• Moderna’s shares have rallied sharply, trading between $22.28 and $176.66 over the past year, while the company remains unprofitable. Its latest quarterly loss of $1.97 per share was slightly better than estimates, and revenue of $145 million exceeded expectations.
• Clinical progress is a major potential catalyst: Moderna and Merck reported positive Phase 3 results for their personalized mRNA melanoma vaccine. However, the company’s $2.6 billion convertible-notes offering raised dilution concerns, while uncertain COVID-19 vaccine demand remains a risk.

Shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Hold" from the twenty-three research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have assigned a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $80.5294.

A number of research firms have weighed in on MRNA. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Moderna from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Loop Capital set a $135.00 price target on shares of Moderna in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Moderna in a report on Friday. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Moderna in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Moderna from $48.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, August 24th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Shannon Thyme Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $173,550.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 67,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,373,400. The trade was a 4.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible 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 53,336 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the president directly owned 1,483,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,225,271.76. This trade represents a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 10.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moderna

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its position in Moderna by 2.6% during the second quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 3,388 shares of the company's stock worth $246,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of Moderna by 35.1% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 801 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board lifted its position in shares of Moderna by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 15,700 shares of the company's stock valued at $463,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of Moderna by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 6,785 shares of the company's stock valued at $200,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Moderna by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,732 shares of the company's stock valued at $405,000 after acquiring an additional 353 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.33% of the company's stock.

Moderna Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MRNA opened at $137.99 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.09 billion, a P/E ratio of -17.27 and a beta of 0.91. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $77.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.85. 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 1-year low of $22.28 and a 1-year high of $176.66.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $102.93 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($2.13) EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Moderna will post -6.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna and Merck reported that their personalized mRNA melanoma vaccine, intismeran, combined with Keytruda, met the goals of a Phase 3 study involving 1,137 patients. The treatment reduced the risk of melanoma recurrence and distant spread versus Keytruda alone, strengthening the case for Moderna’s oncology pipeline and the commercial potential of the partnership. Reuters cancer vaccine breakthrough article
• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. FDA approved Moderna’s updated 2026–2027 Spikevax and mNEXSPIKE COVID-19 vaccines, targeting the XFG subvariant. The approval preserves access to the seasonal COVID-19 vaccine market, though future demand remains an important uncertainty. Reuters FDA approval article
• Positive Sentiment: Argus upgraded Moderna from “Hold” to “Buy” and assigned a $180 price target, indicating additional potential upside based on the company’s oncology opportunity and recent clinical progress. Argus upgrade article
• Neutral Sentiment: Jim Cramer advised a viewer to hold Moderna after the stock’s sharp rally, reflecting continued optimism about the Phase 3 cancer-vaccine result but also caution following the run-up. Jim Cramer Moderna commentary
• Negative Sentiment: Moderna priced an upsized $2.6 billion offering of zero-coupon convertible senior notes due 2032, increased from the initially proposed $2.0 billion. Proceeds may fund oncology investments and debt repayment, but the larger financing raised concerns about future share dilution and explains much of the selling pressure. Moderna convertible notes offering
• Negative Sentiment: BioNTech’s decision to halt a mid-stage personalized mRNA colorectal-cancer vaccine trial after a review weakened sentiment across the mRNA oncology sector, raising broader questions about the difficulty of translating promising technology into successful cancer treatments. BioNTech colorectal cancer trial article

About Moderna

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