AlphaGrep UK Ltd Invests $568,000 in Moderna, Inc. $MRNA

Key Points

• AlphaGrep UK Ltd. purchased 8,106 Moderna shares worth approximately $568,000 in the second quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 75.33% of Moderna.
• Moderna and Merck reported that their Phase 3 melanoma trial met its primary recurrence-free-survival endpoint, marking the first positive Phase 3 result for an mRNA-based cancer therapy and strengthening Moderna’s oncology prospects.
• Despite the positive trial news and a sharp share-price rally, Rothschild & Co. Redburn downgraded Moderna to Sell, arguing the stock is overvalued; the average analyst rating remains Hold with an average price target of $76.72.

AlphaGrep UK Ltd bought a new position in shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 8,106 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $568,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,142,877,000. Capital World Investors bought a new position in shares of Moderna during the 4th quarter worth about $378,299,000. Theleme Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna during the 2nd quarter valued at about $564,272,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna during the 4th quarter valued at about $95,209,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Moderna in the fourth quarter valued at about $79,707,000. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moderna News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna and Merck reported that the Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial of intismeran autogene plus Keytruda met its primary recurrence-free-survival endpoint in resected stage IIB–IV melanoma. It was the first positive Phase 3 result for an mRNA-based cancer therapy and strengthens Moderna’s long-term oncology outlook, although detailed data have not yet been released. Moderna melanoma trial article
• Positive Sentiment: Technical analysts describe the recent consolidation as a potential bullish pennant following the cancer-vaccine-driven breakout. Elevated short interest could provide additional buying pressure if the shares break above resistance. Moderna technical forecast
• Neutral Sentiment: Chief Legal Officer Shannon Klinger sold 3,471 shares for approximately $486,000 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover tax withholding tied to vested equity awards. Because the transaction was planned and tax-related, it provides limited insight into management’s view of Moderna’s valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: Rothschild & Co. Redburn downgraded Moderna from Neutral to Sell, saying the cancer-vaccine rally has made the stock overvalued. The firm raised its price target to $81 from $40, but the new target remains well below recent trading levels, intensifying profit-taking concerns. Rothschild Moderna downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: GSK is advancing an mRNA influenza vaccine toward Phase 3 after reporting stronger immune responses in Phase 2. The competing program could challenge Moderna’s newly approved mFlusiva and increase pressure on its commercial vaccine pipeline. GSK mRNA flu vaccine competition

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, President Stephen Hoge sold 53,336 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.37, for a total value 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 $76,225,271.76. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Shannon Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.95, for a total transaction of $485,766.45. Following the transaction, the insider owned 74,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,374,353.55. This trade represents a 4.47% decrease in their position. 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. 10.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Moderna Price Performance

NASDAQ:MRNA opened at $145.55 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 firm has a market cap of $58.11 billion, a PE ratio of -18.22 and a beta of 1.10. Moderna, Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.28 and a 12 month high of $176.66. The company's 50-day moving average price is $85.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.45.

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, 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $102.93 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($2.13) earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on MRNA shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Moderna from $41.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. 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. CLSA raised Moderna to an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 28th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn downgraded Moderna from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $40.00 to $81.00 in a research report on Thursday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $76.72.

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.

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