Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) Given Average Recommendation of "Reduce" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Brokerages give Moderna an average rating of "Reduce" based on 20 analysts (5 sell, 13 hold, 2 buy) with an average 12‑month price target of about $33.87.
• Regulatory and pipeline progress — including European approval of the COVID‑19/flu combo mCombriax and a Phase‑3 bird‑flu trial — support longer‑term upside, but a CureVac patent‑infringement suit and forecasts for negative EPS raise near‑term uncertainty.
• Insider and institutional activity: President Stephen Hoge sold 160,009 shares (~$7.8M), reducing his stake by ~9.9%, while institutional investors own about 75% of the stock and insiders hold ~10.8%.

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Reduce" from the twenty ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have given a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $33.8667.

MRNA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Leerink Partners restated an "underperform" rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Moderna from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Monday, February 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Moderna from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Moderna from $36.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Stephen Hoge sold 160,009 shares of Moderna 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 completion of the transaction, the president directly owned 1,457,427 shares of the company's stock, valued at $71,180,734.68. The trade was a 9.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 10.80% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moderna

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Moderna by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,584,782 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,226,335,000 after acquiring an additional 399,487 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors bought a new stake in Moderna during the 4th quarter worth about $378,299,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Moderna by 15.7% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 8,216,163 shares of the company's stock worth $212,223,000 after purchasing an additional 1,115,131 shares during the last quarter. Theleme Partners LLP lifted its position in Moderna by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Theleme Partners LLP now owns 8,068,810 shares of the company's stock valued at $208,417,000 after purchasing an additional 200,000 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Moderna by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,621,558 shares of the company's stock valued at $136,290,000 after purchasing an additional 309,126 shares during the period. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: European approval for Moderna’s COVID-19/flu combo vaccine (mCombriax) expands near‑term commercial opportunity and validates Phase 3 data showing superior immune responses versus standalone vaccines. European Commission Approves MRNA's COVID-19-Influenza Combo Shot
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna launched a late‑stage (Phase 3) trial for an mRNA bird flu vaccine, advancing its respiratory vaccine pipeline and potential future revenue streams despite earlier U.S. funding setbacks. Pipeline progress supports longer‑term growth expectations. Moderna starts late-stage trial for bird flu vaccine
• Neutral Sentiment: Moderna is projected to report quarterly results next week; the timing and details will be market‑moving but are already partially priced in ahead of the release. Watch revenue guidance and commentary on vaccine demand. Moderna (MRNA) Projected to Post Quarterly Earnings on Friday
• Neutral Sentiment: Moderna presented data at ESCMID Global 2026 — useful for scientific validation and investor confidence but unlikely to move the stock materially on its own. Moderna, Inc. (MRNA) Presents at ESCMID Global 2026 - Slideshow
• Negative Sentiment: CureVac filed a patent‑infringement suit in Delaware alleging Moderna’s Spikevax infringes mRNA patents — legal risk could lead to damages, licensing costs or injunction threats, creating near‑term uncertainty. CureVac sues Moderna for patent infringement over COVID-19 vaccines
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and previews (Zacks/Yahoo) flag that Moderna may report negative EPS next week and lacks the two key ingredients often behind earnings beats, increasing the risk of an earnings disappointment. Moderna (MRNA) May Report Negative Earnings: Know the Trend Ahead of Next Week's Release

Moderna Price Performance

Shares of MRNA opened at $50.73 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $20.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.98 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 3.22, a current ratio of 3.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Moderna has a 12 month low of $22.28 and a 12 month high of $59.55. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $51.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.90.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 13th. The company reported ($2.11) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($2.79) by $0.68. The company had revenue of $678.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $611.14 million. Moderna had a negative return on equity of 30.15% and a negative net margin of 145.16%.The company's quarterly revenue was down 33.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($2.91) earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Moderna will post -7.01 EPS for the current fiscal 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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