Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Sells 24,187 Shares of Moderna, Inc. $MRNA

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management reduced its Moderna stake by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 24,187 shares and leaving it with 390,028 shares valued at about $12.0 million.
• Moderna’s mRNA-1010 seasonal flu vaccine reported positive Phase 3 results, outperforming the standard-dose flu shot in adults 50 and older and strengthening confidence in its respiratory-vaccine pipeline.
• Despite the upbeat vaccine news, analysts remain cautious overall: the stock carries an average “Reduce” rating and a consensus target price of $35.73, even as some firms recently raised their price targets.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lowered its stake in shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Free Report) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 390,028 shares of the company's stock after selling 24,187 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.10% of Moderna worth $12,036,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRNA. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Moderna during the 1st quarter worth approximately $415,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in Moderna by 732.7% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,575 shares of the company's stock valued at $328,000 after acquiring an additional 10,185 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in shares of Moderna during the first quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Focus Partners Wealth increased its holdings in shares of Moderna by 58.7% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 23,547 shares of the company's stock valued at $668,000 after acquiring an additional 8,706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Moderna by 5.2% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 48,859 shares of the company's stock worth $1,348,000 after purchasing an additional 2,410 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.33% of the company's stock.

Moderna News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna’s mRNA seasonal flu vaccine candidate, mRNA-1010, posted positive Phase 3 results and outperformed the standard-dose flu shot in adults 50 and older, boosting confidence in the company’s vaccine pipeline. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: The New England Journal of Medicine publication of the Phase 3 flu data adds credibility and increases the odds of regulatory traction, with filings already under review in the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Australia. Access Newswire article
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports highlighted that the flu shot appeared more effective than standard vaccines, reinforcing the view that Moderna could expand beyond COVID into a larger recurring respiratory-vaccine franchise. Benzinga article
• Positive Sentiment: Investor enthusiasm also increased on news of an unusual surge in call-option activity, suggesting traders are positioning for further upside.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage linking Moderna to hantavirus outbreak concerns may be helping the stock in the short term, but the long-term commercial impact is unclear and more speculative than fundamental. Barrons article
• Negative Sentiment: Some of the early gains faded as traders took profits after the initial excitement around the flu data and related headlines, showing that near-term volatility remains high. Benzinga article

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $45.00 target price on shares of Moderna in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Moderna from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Monday, February 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Moderna from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Moderna from $43.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $35.73.

Moderna Stock Performance

Moderna stock opened at $54.35 on Monday. Moderna, Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.28 and a 1-year high of $59.55. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.57 billion, a PE ratio of -6.67 and a beta of 1.05. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $51.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $39.91.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported ($3.40) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($3.02) by ($0.38). The firm had revenue of $389.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $236.37 million. Moderna had a negative net margin of 143.55% and a negative return on equity of 26.64%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 260.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($2.52) earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moderna

In related 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 12,066 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $562,637.58. This trade represents a 32.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, President Stephen Hoge sold 160,009 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.84, for a total value of $7,814,839.56. Following the transaction, the president owned 1,457,427 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $71,180,734.68. The trade was a 9.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 10.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Moderna

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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