Van ECK Associates Corp Trims Stake in Moderna, Inc. $MRNA

Key Points

• Van ECK Associates cut its Moderna stake by 18.8% in the second quarter, selling 46,315 shares and retaining 200,116 shares valued at approximately $14 million. Institutional investors collectively own 75.33% of Moderna.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Argus upgraded Moderna to “Buy” with a $180 target, while JPMorgan, UBS and Barclays maintained cautious ratings. Overall, the stock carries a “Hold” consensus and an average price target of $80.53.
• Moderna reported a second-quarter loss of $1.97 per share, slightly better than estimates, while revenue of $145 million exceeded expectations. Shares opened at $140.34, well above their $22.28 52-week low, amid investor enthusiasm over cancer-vaccine results and the company’s expanding respiratory-vaccine portfolio.

Van ECK Associates Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Free Report) by 18.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 200,116 shares of the company's stock after selling 46,315 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp owned about 0.05% of Moderna worth $14,014,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MRNA. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in Moderna in the second quarter worth $28,000. Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Moderna during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Canton Hathaway LLC purchased a new position in shares of Moderna during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Archer Investment Corp bought a new position in shares of Moderna during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Moderna by 148.3% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,341 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 801 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.33% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MRNA shares. Argus raised Moderna from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Moderna from $40.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Moderna from $50.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Moderna from $48.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $80.53.

Moderna Stock Performance

Shares of MRNA stock opened at $140.34 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.56 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $78.73 and a 200 day moving average of $60.54. Moderna, Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.28 and a 52 week high of $176.66. The company has a quick ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 2.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($2.03) by $0.06. The business had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $102.93 million. Moderna had a negative net margin of 141.43% and a negative return on equity of 28.30%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($2.13) EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Moderna

In related news, President Stephen Hoge sold 53,336 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.37, for a total transaction of $2,739,870.32. Following the sale, the president directly owned 1,483,848 shares in the company, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Shannon Thyme Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $173,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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. Insiders own 10.80% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna and Merck reported encouraging results from their cancer-vaccine collaboration, supporting Moderna’s strategy to expand beyond COVID-19 vaccines into personalized oncology treatments. The results have attracted positive attention from market commentator Jim Cramer and helped drive investor enthusiasm. Jim Cramer Called Moderna Inc. and Merck’s Trial Results Encouraging
• Positive Sentiment: Recent clinical evidence has provided a major boost to the broader mRNA sector after a difficult period for the technology. Coverage highlights the potential medical and commercial significance of Moderna’s cancer-vaccine work, particularly as the company seeks to establish growth drivers beyond respiratory vaccines. After a Rough Stretch, mRNA Gets a Boost
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna received FDA approval for updated Spikevax and mNEXSPIKE COVID-19 vaccines targeting the latest SARS-CoV-2 subvariant, as well as mFlusiva, its first mRNA influenza vaccine for adults aged 50 and older. The approvals broaden its respiratory portfolio and could improve the company’s long-term commercial opportunity in seasonal vaccines. What Do Moderna FDA Vaccine Approvals Mean for Its Respiratory Push?
• Positive Sentiment: Argus upgraded Moderna to “Buy,” adding a more bullish analyst view following the company’s clinical and regulatory developments. Argus Upgrades Moderna to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading volume increased significantly after the analyst upgrade, indicating heightened investor interest and strong momentum in MRNA shares. However, heavy activity can also reflect short-term speculation following the stock’s steep rally. Moderna Sees Large Volume Increase After Analyst Upgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts overall maintain an average “Hold” rating, signaling that Wall Street remains cautious despite the recent clinical progress. The stock’s rapid appreciation has also raised concerns about valuation and the risk of profit-taking if additional trial results do not meet high expectations. Moderna Receives Average Rating of Hold

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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