983,450 Shares in Moderna, Inc. $MRNA Bought by Deutsche Bank AG

Key Points

• Deutsche Bank initiated a sizable Moderna position, purchasing 983,450 shares worth approximately $68.9 million, equivalent to about 0.25% of the company. Institutional investors collectively own 75.33% of Moderna.
• Moderna and Merck reported positive Phase 3 results for their personalized mRNA melanoma vaccine combined with Keytruda, potentially supporting regulatory filings as early as 2027 and strengthening Moderna’s oncology growth prospects.
• Despite the positive trial news, Moderna shares remain volatile amid short-squeeze effects, profit-taking and valuation concerns. Analysts’ consensus rating is Hold, while the company continues to report losses and awaits detailed data, regulatory review and commercialization.

Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 983,450 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $68,871,000. Deutsche Bank AG owned approximately 0.25% of Moderna as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in shares of Moderna in the fourth quarter valued at $378,299,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. purchased a new stake in Moderna during the fourth quarter valued at $95,209,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Moderna during the fourth quarter valued at $79,707,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Moderna in the 2nd quarter worth $119,168,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Moderna by 15.7% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 8,216,163 shares of the company's stock worth $212,223,000 after buying an additional 1,115,131 shares in the last quarter. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Phase 3 melanoma success validates Moderna’s mRNA platform. Moderna and Merck said their personalized cancer vaccine, intismeran autogene, combined with Keytruda, met both recurrence-free-survival and distant-metastasis-free-survival endpoints in high-risk, fully resected Stage IIB-IV melanoma patients. The result is described as the first positive late-stage trial for a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine and could support regulatory filings as early as 2027. Merck and Moderna Phase 3 trial announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Investors see potential beyond COVID-19 vaccines. Analysts believe a successful personalized oncology product could establish a major new revenue stream and raise the value of Moderna’s broader cancer pipeline, including programs targeting lung, kidney and bladder cancers. Jefferies estimated potential global peak sales of approximately $54 billion and raised its price target to $170, while other estimates were more conservative. Moderna oncology platform draws Street value
• Neutral Sentiment: The sharp move was amplified by a short squeeze. Reports estimate that short sellers faced billions of dollars in mark-to-market losses after the trial news, forcing some to buy shares to cover positions. This technical support can intensify gains but may not represent sustained fundamental demand. Moderna short-sellers report
• Negative Sentiment: Profit-taking and valuation concerns are driving the pullback. The stock’s earlier surge priced in substantial success, and several analysts’ revised targets remained below the prevailing market price. Morgan Stanley raised its target but maintained an equal-weight rating, citing limited near-term upside. Moderna valuation concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Important risks remain. Moderna has released topline results, but investors are awaiting detailed data, regulatory review and eventual commercialization. Doctors and analysts have also cautioned that enthusiasm may be running ahead of the evidence, leaving the shares vulnerable to further volatility. Moderna personalized mRNA shot analysis

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MRNA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Moderna from $67.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. William Blair raised Moderna from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group upped their price objective on Moderna from $50.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Loop Capital set a $135.00 target price on Moderna in a report on Wednesday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Moderna presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $66.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Moderna news, President Stephen Hoge sold 53,336 shares of the 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 transaction, the president directly owned 1,483,848 shares in the company, valued at $76,225,271.76. This represents a 3.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Shannon Thyme Klinger sold 3,471 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $173,550.00. Following the transaction, 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 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 10.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Moderna Stock Down 23.5%

Shares of MRNA opened at $133.32 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.23 billion, a P/E ratio of -16.69 and a beta of 0.91. Moderna, Inc. has a 12-month low of $22.28 and a 12-month high of $176.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $66.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.47.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) EPS 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 company had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $102.93 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($2.13) EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Moderna 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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