Moderna Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:MRNA)

Key Points

• Moderna’s call-option activity surged: Investors traded 82,913 call options, 71% above the average volume of 48,590.
• The stock fell $1.86 to $56.06, while the company reported a quarterly loss of $1.97 per share—slightly better than estimates—and revenue of $145 million. Moderna remains unprofitable, with analysts forecasting a full-year loss.
• Investor sentiment remains cautious: The consensus analyst rating is “Reduce” with a $40 price target, amid weaker COVID-19 vaccine demand and disappointing interim results for the company’s norovirus vaccine candidate.

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock investors acquired 82,913 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 71% compared to the average volume of 48,590 call options.

Moderna Stock Performance

MRNA stock traded down $1.86 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $56.06. 4,534,977 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,827,863. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.24 billion, a PE ratio of -6.87 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50-day moving average of $59.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $52.50. Moderna has a 52 week low of $22.28 and a 52 week high of $85.60. The company has a quick ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 2.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) last posted 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 business had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $102.93 million. Moderna had a negative net margin of 143.55% and a negative return on equity of 26.64%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($2.13) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Moderna will post -6.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Moderna

In related news, Director Noubar Afeyan sold 9,263 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.84, for a total value of $433,878.92. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $183,800.16. This represents a 70.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 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 transaction of $2,739,870.32. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 1,483,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,225,271.76. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 119,406 shares of company stock valued at $5,928,762 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 10.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Moderna

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Moderna in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Canton Hathaway LLC acquired a new position in Moderna during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in shares of Moderna by 35.1% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 801 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Moderna in the 2nd quarter valued at about $61,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in Moderna during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. 75.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRNA has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Moderna from $69.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Moderna from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an "underperform" rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of Moderna in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Moderna currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $40.00.

More Moderna News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna reported a second-quarter loss of $1.97 per share, slightly better than the $2.03 consensus estimate and an improvement from a $2.13 loss a year earlier. Revenue increased about 2.1% year over year to $145 million, exceeding some published estimates. Moderna Q2 Earnings Snapshot
• Positive Sentiment: The company reiterated its plan to deliver up to 10% revenue growth in 2026, lowered its full-year operating-expense outlook by approximately $200 million and raised its expected year-end cash balance to $4.7 billion-$5.2 billion. Moderna Second-Quarter Results and Business Updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are awaiting the FDA’s August 5 decision on mFLUSIVA, Moderna’s seasonal influenza vaccine candidate. Approval would provide a potential new commercial product, although the company remains heavily dependent on COVID-related sales. Moderna Earnings and Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: COVID-19 vaccine sales were weaker than expected, causing Moderna to miss Wall Street’s quarterly revenue forecast in some estimates and reinforcing concerns about declining demand for its core product. Moderna Misses Revenue Estimates on COVID Vaccine Weakness
• Negative Sentiment: Moderna said its mRNA-1403 norovirus vaccine did not meet the statistical criteria for early success in a Phase 3 interim analysis. The trial will continue with an additional cohort, delaying clarity on a potentially important pipeline opportunity. Moderna Norovirus Vaccine Update

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.

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.