5,060 Moderna, Inc. $MRNA Shares Purchased by Rakuten Investment Management Inc.

Key Points

• Rakuten Investment Management increased its Moderna stake by 13.5%, buying 5,060 shares in the third quarter to hold 42,501 shares valued at about $8.65 million.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: Moderna has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $107.10, with six Buy, 15 Hold, and four Sell ratings.
• Moderna insiders sold 197,251 shares worth approximately $33.9 million over the past 90 days. The article also cites potential legal exposure from a U.S. COVID-19 vaccine patent dispute.

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Free Report) by 13.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 42,501 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,060 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Moderna were worth $8,647,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Moderna in the third quarter worth $29,000. Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Moderna during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Next Level Wealth Planning LLC purchased a new position in Moderna during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Archer Investment Corp purchased a new position in Moderna during the second quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Ramsey Quantitative Systems purchased a new position in Moderna during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Institutional investors own 75.33% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MRNA shares. Brookline Capital Markets restated a "buy" rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. CLSA upgraded Moderna to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Friday, September 25th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $230.00 price objective (up from $167.00) on shares of Moderna in a research report on Monday, October 26th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Six 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 currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $107.10.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Jamey Mock sold 34,836 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total value of $4,685,093.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,985,343.75. This represents a 36.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Shannon Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.95, for a total value of $485,766.45. Following the transaction, the insider 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. 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 197,251 shares of company stock valued at $33,875,904 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 10.80% of the company's stock.

Moderna News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Health Canada authorized Moderna’s mRNA seasonal influenza vaccine and its combined influenza/COVID-19 vaccine for adults 50 and older, making Canada the first country to authorize both products. The approvals expand potential commercial opportunities, though sales and uptake remain to be seen. Health Canada authorizes Moderna’s vaccines
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna’s investigational multiple-myeloma therapy mRNA-2808 generated four confirmed responses among 11 heavily pretreated patients in early data. The results are preliminary, but helped fuel optimism about the company’s cancer platform; fuller data are scheduled for presentation at a December medical meeting. Early multiple-myeloma data
• Positive Sentiment: The WHO’s technical advisory group recommended advancing Moderna’s Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine candidate to a Phase 2/3 efficacy study in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a positive development for its pipeline. Ebola vaccine advances toward Phase 2/3
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are looking to Friday’s earnings report for updates on revenue, cash use, and the company’s ability to fund its pipeline. The results could be an important test after a steep rally. Q3 earnings preview
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. judges pressed Moderna on its defense in a COVID-19 vaccine patent dispute that could involve billions of dollars, raising uncertainty about potential legal exposure. Moderna pressed on patent defense
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary argues the stock’s valuation has run ahead of near-term revenue prospects, citing ongoing cash burn and commercial hurdles for pipeline products. That risk may weigh more heavily if earnings do not support the rally. Moderna earnings and valuation analysis

Moderna Stock Down 6.5%

MRNA opened at $241.46 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $96.40 billion, a PE ratio of -30.22 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 2.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Moderna, Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.28 and a 52 week high of $261.00. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $189.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $90.46.

Moderna 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 stimulate immune responses or support the treatment of disease. The company's research programs span infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, autoimmune conditions and other therapeutic areas.

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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