Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Buys Shares of 14,469 Moderna, Inc. $MRNA

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management initiated a position of 14,469 Moderna shares valued at approximately $1.01 million. Institutional investors collectively own 75.33% of the company.
• Moderna’s main catalyst is positive Phase 3 data for its personalized cancer vaccine with Merck, while analysts estimate a potential cancer-vaccine opportunity of roughly $9.2 billion. However, manufacturing, regulatory, competitive and commercialization risks remain significant.
• Despite the recent rally, analyst sentiment remains cautious, with a consensus “Hold” rating and average price target of $74.31, well below the reported share price of $158.83.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 14,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,013,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in Moderna during the second quarter worth $28,000. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Moderna in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Canton Hathaway LLC acquired a new stake in Moderna in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Moderna by 148.3% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,341 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 801 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in Moderna by 35.1% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 801 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. 75.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Moderna News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Positive Phase 3 cancer-vaccine data remains the main catalyst. Moderna and Merck reported that intismeran, used with Keytruda, met key goals in the INTerpath-001 study of resected melanoma. The result is viewed as an important validation of Moderna’s mRNA technology because it reportedly showed benefit over Keytruda alone—the first positive late-stage readout for an mRNA-based cancer vaccine in this setting. Moderna's personalized cancer vaccine shows promise
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see a substantial opportunity. Wolfe Research estimates the melanoma and broader cancer-vaccine opportunity could reach approximately $9.2 billion, while other analysts have raised ratings and highlighted the long-term potential of intismeran. That has helped shift the investment narrative beyond Moderna’s declining COVID-19 business. MRNA Stock Jumps Past $150
• Positive Sentiment: Broader mRNA validation is supporting sentiment. The FDA’s approval of the first mRNA-based flu vaccine could improve perceptions of mRNA platforms and reinforce the value of related intellectual property, although the approval is not itself a direct Moderna product catalyst. FDA Approves First mRNA-Based Flu Vaccine
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading momentum is amplifying the move. A reported “Power Inflow” signal and unusually heavy volume indicate strong buying interest, but these technical indicators do not establish the vaccine’s long-term commercial value. Moderna Shares Rise After Trading Signal
• Negative Sentiment: Investors face significant execution and valuation risks. The cancer-vaccine evidence remains limited, and broader adoption could be constrained by manufacturing complexity, regulatory requirements, cost, competition and the need for additional data. Analysts also caution that Moderna’s pipeline and financial outlook remain challenging outside this program. Explainer on the Merck-Moderna Cancer Vaccine
• Negative Sentiment: Profit-taking and geopolitical concerns could increase volatility. Moderna previously fell as traders locked in gains after its extraordinary advance. CEO Stéphane Bancel also warned that China is investing heavily in biotechnology and mRNA, creating a potential long-term competitive threat. Moderna CEO Warns About China’s mRNA Investment

Insider Transactions at Moderna

In other Moderna news, insider Shannon Thyme Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $173,550.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 67,468 shares in the company, valued at $3,373,400. This represents a 4.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 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. Also, President Stephen Hoge sold 53,336 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.37, for a total value of $2,739,870.32. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 1,483,848 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $76,225,271.76. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 10.80% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRNA has been the subject of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Moderna from $67.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Friday, June 12th. Bank of America raised Moderna from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $74.31.

Moderna Stock Performance

Shares of MRNA stock opened at $158.83 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $72.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $57.69. Moderna, Inc. has a one year low of $22.28 and a one year high of $176.66. The stock has a market cap of $63.41 billion, a P/E ratio of -19.88 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 2.18.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) last released 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. The company had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $102.93 million. Moderna had a negative net margin of 141.43% and a negative return on equity of 28.30%. Moderna's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($2.13) EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.18 EPS for the current year.

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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