Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) CFO Sells $4,685,093.64 in Stock

Key Points

• Moderna CFO James Mock sold 34,836 shares for approximately $4.69 million at an average price of $134.49 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, reducing his direct holdings by 36.98% to 59,375 shares.
• Moderna shares were trading at $146.69, near a one-year high of $176.66, while the company’s latest quarterly loss of $1.97 per share was slightly better than analyst expectations and revenue reached $145 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with the stock carrying an average “Hold” rating and a $76.72 consensus price target; institutional investors own approximately 75.33% of outstanding shares.

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) CFO James Mock sold 34,836 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total transaction of $4,685,093.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,985,343.75. This represents a 36.98% decrease in their position. 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.

Moderna Stock Performance

MRNA traded up $2.72 during trading on Monday, hitting $146.69. 10,538,519 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,614,295. The firm has a market cap of $58.56 billion, a P/E ratio of -18.36 and a beta of 1.10. The stock's fifty day moving average is $92.35 and its 200 day moving average is $66.85. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $22.28 and a one year high of $176.66.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($2.03) by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $145.00 million during 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 revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($2.13) EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MRNA. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Moderna in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. William Blair assumed coverage on shares of Moderna in a research report on Friday, August 28th. They set an "outperform" rating for the company. Loop Capital set a $135.00 price target on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Brookline Capital Markets restated a "buy" rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, CLSA raised shares of Moderna to an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 28th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $76.72.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moderna

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MRNA. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in Moderna during the first quarter worth about $899,000. Merck & Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Moderna during the 2nd quarter valued at about $161,642,545. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Moderna during the 2nd quarter valued at about $119,168,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Moderna by 1,387.6% in the 2nd quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 24,218 shares of the company's stock worth $1,696,000 after buying an additional 22,590 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lingotto Investment Management LLP lifted its position in 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 during the last quarter. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Moderna

Moderna, Inc is a biotechnology company that develops messenger RNA (mRNA) medicines and vaccines. Its platform is designed to provide cells with instructions to produce proteins that may help prevent or treat infectious diseases, cancer and other medical conditions.

The company's commercial products include Spikevax, an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, and mRESVIA, an mRNA vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in older adults. Moderna also maintains a pipeline of investigational programs in areas such as seasonal influenza, cytomegalovirus, oncology and rare diseases.

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Moderna serves markets in the United States and internationally through regulatory approvals, commercial partnerships and distribution arrangements.

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