15,000 Moderna, Inc. $MRNA Shares Sold by Quattro Financial Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Quattro Financial Advisors cut its Moderna position by 60%, selling 15,000 shares in the third quarter and retaining 10,000 shares valued at approximately $1.93 million. Institutional investors own 75.33% of Moderna.
• Moderna shares opened at $236.50, near their 52-week high, after a sharp rally driven by optimism surrounding data from its personalized melanoma vaccine partnership with Merck. Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $137 but maintained a Neutral rating, implying substantial downside from the quoted price.
• The company remains unprofitable, with analysts expecting a full-year loss, while insiders sold 118,882 shares worth $16.9 million over the past 90 days. Investors face potential volatility around upcoming clinical data and quarterly results, as the stock’s valuation depends heavily on successful pipeline execution.

Quattro Financial Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Free Report) by 60.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,000 shares during the period. Quattro Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in Moderna were worth $1,926,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MRNA. NFSG Corp grew its holdings in shares of Moderna by 2,581.0% in the third quarter. NFSG Corp now owns 5,362 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,033,000 after purchasing an additional 5,162 shares in the last quarter. R2 Capital Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Moderna during the third quarter valued at $347,000. Cohen Klingenstein LLC bought a new position in Moderna during the third quarter valued at $404,000. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Moderna during the third quarter valued at $473,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its position in Moderna by 1.7% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 35,174 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,773,000 after purchasing an additional 573 shares during the last quarter. 75.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Moderna Stock Up 4.5%

NASDAQ MRNA opened at $236.50 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 2.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a fifty day moving average of $153.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $89.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -29.60 and a beta of 1.09. Moderna, Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.28 and a 52 week high of $242.29.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $102.93 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($2.13) earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor enthusiasm is building ahead of data from Moderna and Merck’s personalized melanoma vaccine program. The companies’ mRNA cancer-vaccine partnership is the primary catalyst behind the recent surge, with investors hoping clinical results could validate a major new growth market. Moderna outweighs bearish views ahead of cancer vaccine data
• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s chief executive said the companies expect manufacturing of their cancer vaccine to become faster over time. He described the production process as complex but increasingly well controlled, addressing an important potential commercialization concern. Merck CEO tells CNBC he expects breakthrough cancer vaccine will become faster to make
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its Moderna price target to $137 from $120 while retaining a Neutral rating. Although the target remains well below the current trading level, the increase reflects improved expectations ahead of the melanoma data. MRNA Stock Hits Fresh 52-Week Highs As Goldman Raises Target Ahead Of Melanoma Data
• Positive Sentiment: Money has rotated into healthcare and away from crowded technology trades, providing an additional momentum tailwind for Moderna and other biotechnology stocks. Moderna Rallies as Money Rotates Into Healthcare
• Neutral Sentiment: Moderna’s flu-vaccine opportunity remains prospective; coverage on where consumers can obtain an mRNA flu shot highlights that such products are not yet broadly available, limiting any immediate revenue impact. Where Can I Get an mRNA Flu Shot?
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and commentators warn that the stock’s dramatic year-to-date rebound has outpaced fundamentals. Moderna remains unprofitable, generates negative free cash flow, and is highly dependent on successful pipeline execution. Q3 results on November 6 and Analyst Day on November 12 could produce substantial volatility. Moderna Valuation Is Uncertain
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman’s $137 target implies roughly 42% downside from the quoted share price, underscoring the risk that expectations for cancer-vaccine data may already be heavily reflected in Moderna’s valuation. Moderna Stock Is Soaring on Cancer Vaccine Buzz

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Stephen Hoge sold 40,294 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.13, for a total transaction of $5,807,574.22. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 1,525,858 shares in the company, valued at approximately $219,921,913.54. This represents a 2.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Jamey Mock sold 34,836 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total transaction of $4,685,093.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,375 shares in the company, valued at $7,985,343.75. This trade represents a 36.98% 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 118,882 shares of company stock valued at $16,862,280. Company insiders own 10.80% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRNA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Moderna from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Moderna from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Moderna from $48.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Finally, William Blair initiated coverage on Moderna in a research report on Friday, August 28th. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Moderna has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $101.45.

Moderna Company Profile

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.

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