Moderna, Inc. $MRNA Shares Acquired by Lingotto Investment Management LLP

Key Points

• Lingotto Investment Management boosted its Moderna stake by 33.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 125,598 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 498,693 shares worth about $14.7 million.
• Several Moderna insiders sold shares recently, including Director Abbas Hussain and President Stephen Hoge, with total insider sales in the quarter amounting to 68,281 shares valued at about $3.28 million.
• Wall Street remains cautious on Moderna overall: analysts currently have a consensus “Reduce” rating and an average price target of $35.73, even as some firms raised targets on the stock.

Lingotto Investment Management LLP raised its holdings in shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Free Report) by 33.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 498,693 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 125,598 shares during the period. Moderna makes up about 0.3% of Lingotto Investment Management LLP's portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Lingotto Investment Management LLP owned about 0.13% of Moderna worth $14,706,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MRNA. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in Moderna during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Moderna during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted its stake in Moderna by 3,775.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 1,240 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,208 shares during the period. Cromwell Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Moderna by 39.7% during the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 341 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Moderna by 148.3% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,341 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 801 shares during the period. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Abbas Hussain sold 5,682 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.63, for a total value 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. The trade was a 32.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, President Stephen Hoge sold 53,336 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.40, for a total transaction of $2,581,462.40. Following the sale, the president directly owned 1,477,997 shares of the company's stock, valued at $71,535,054.80. The trade was a 3.48% 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 68,281 shares of company stock valued at $3,280,293. 10.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on MRNA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Moderna from $43.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $37.00 price objective on shares of Moderna and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Monday, February 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Moderna in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Moderna from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $35.73.

More Moderna News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna announced an expanded collaboration with CEPI to support preclinical work and Phase 1 testing of a Bundibugyo ebolavirus vaccine candidate, with up to $50 million in external funding helping offset development costs. Moderna and CEPI Expand Strategic Collaboration to Advance Potential Vaccine Against Bundibugyo Ebolavirus
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna and Merck reported 5-year follow-up data for intismeran autogene (V940), showing a 49% reduction in recurrence or death and a 59% reduction in distant metastasis or death versus KEYTRUDA alone in high-risk melanoma. Moderna and Merck Present 5-Year Data for Intismeran Autogene in Combination With KEYTRUDA
• Neutral Sentiment: Several follow-on articles and transcripts reiterated the same Ebola and melanoma headlines, reinforcing investor attention but not adding materially new information. Moderna partners with global health coalition to develop Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine
• Neutral Sentiment: Media coverage of personalized mRNA cancer vaccine research in melanoma also supported the broader mRNA platform narrative, but these reports were about the field more than a direct new Moderna catalyst. A cancer vaccine made just for you. mRNA is back and it's fighting melanoma

Moderna Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MRNA opened at $46.06 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $18.28 billion, a PE ratio of -5.65 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $50.11 and a 200 day moving average of $42.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.41. Moderna, Inc. has a one year low of $22.28 and a one year high of $59.55.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) last issued 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 company had revenue of $389.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $236.37 million. Moderna had a negative return on equity of 26.64% and a negative net margin of 143.55%.Moderna's revenue was up 260.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($2.52) EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.49 EPS for the current fiscal 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.

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