Hamilton Wealth LLC Acquires New Stake in Moderna, Inc. $MRNA

Key Points

• Hamilton Wealth LLC opened a new position in Moderna during the fourth quarter, buying 105,066 shares valued at about $3.1 million.
• Moderna’s stock was trading around $63.96, near its 52-week high of $67.74, and the company reported a strong revenue jump in its latest quarter, even though earnings missed expectations.
• Recent FDA adviser support for Moderna’s mRNA-1010 flu vaccine has become a key catalyst, with the product still on track for an August 5 decision date and analysts maintaining a cautious overall stance.

Hamilton Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 105,066 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,098,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lingotto Investment Management LLP raised its stake in shares of Moderna by 33.7% in the 4th quarter. Lingotto Investment Management LLP now owns 498,693 shares of the company's stock worth $14,706,000 after buying an additional 125,598 shares in the last quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC boosted its stake in Moderna by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC now owns 1,291,465 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,085,000 after buying an additional 163,031 shares in the last quarter. Nicollet Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Moderna during the fourth quarter worth about $897,000. Banco Santander S.A. grew its holdings in Moderna by 22.1% during the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 215,894 shares of the company's stock worth $5,577,000 after acquiring an additional 39,056 shares during the period. Finally, Sigma Planning Corp bought a new stake in Moderna in the fourth quarter worth about $907,000. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moderna Stock Up 3.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:MRNA opened at $63.96 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $50.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $45.10. Moderna, Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.28 and a 52 week high of $67.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.41. The company has a market cap of $25.38 billion, a PE ratio of -7.85 and a beta of 1.05.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported ($3.40) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($3.02) by ($0.38). Moderna had a negative return on equity of 26.64% and a negative net margin of 143.55%.The firm had revenue of $389.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $236.37 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($2.52) earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 260.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRNA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Moderna from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Moderna from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Friday, June 12th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $33.00 price target on shares of Moderna in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $36.60.

Moderna News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: FDA advisers unanimously backed Moderna’s mRNA-1010 flu vaccine, saying the benefits outweigh the risks for older adults, a major de-risking event for a key pipeline asset. Article: US FDA advisers vote in favor of Moderna's flu vaccine
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna formally said the committee voted 9-0 in favor of the vaccine’s benefit-risk profile, with the FDA PDUFA goal date still set for August 5, keeping a near-term approval catalyst in place. Article: Moderna Announces FDA Advisory Committee Votes Unanimously in Favor of the Benefit-Risk Profile of mRNA-1010
• Positive Sentiment: Earlier FDA briefing documents were viewed as more constructive than feared, easing approval concerns and fueling the recent rally ahead of the vote. Article: MRNA Stock Jumps as FDA Briefing Docs Ease Flu Shot Approval Concerns
• Positive Sentiment: Investors also appear to be reacting to Moderna’s upcoming Science Day on June 25, which could provide more pipeline and strategy updates. Article: Moderna to Host Investor Event - Science Day
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading volume and options activity have been unusually high, suggesting speculative positioning is also amplifying the move. Article: Moderna flu vaccine wins unanimous support from FDA panel
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by President Stephen Hoge may weigh a bit on sentiment, although the sale was made under a pre-arranged trading plan and does not necessarily signal fundamental weakness. Article: Moderna NASDAQ: MRNA President Sells $2,739,870.32 in Stock

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Abbas Hussain sold 5,682 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.63, for a total transaction of $264,951.66. Following the transaction, the director owned 12,066 shares in the company, valued at approximately $562,637.58. The trade was a 32.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Noubar Afeyan sold 9,263 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.84, for a total value of $433,878.92. Following the sale, the director owned 3,924 shares of the company's stock, valued at $183,800.16. The trade was a 70.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 125,088 shares of company stock worth $6,193,713. 10.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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