Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Shares Up 4% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Moderna shares rose 4% to $222.76, driven by investor enthusiasm over encouraging clinical data for its personalized cancer vaccine and optimism that oncology could become a major long-term growth engine.
• Investors are awaiting Moderna’s Nov. 6 update for details on its cancer program, commercial outlook and financial performance, although analysts caution that the recent rally may already reflect substantial oncology success.
• Wall Street’s consensus rating remains Hold, with 15 Holds, six Buys and four Sells and an average price target of $107.10; William Blair recently downgraded the stock to Market Perform over valuation concerns.

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) shares shot up 4% on Thursday. The company traded as high as $225.00 and last traded at $222.76. 10,701,369 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 16% from the average daily volume of 12,678,758 shares. The stock had previously closed at $214.16.

Key Stories Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor enthusiasm is being driven by encouraging clinical data for Moderna’s personalized cancer vaccine, particularly in melanoma. CEO Stéphane Bancel said the results could improve with longer follow-up and argued that the company’s technology would be difficult for competitors to replicate. Moderna CEO cancer vaccine article
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage of Moderna’s presentation at the 2026 ESMO Congress has reinforced the view that oncology could become an important long-term growth engine and help diversify the company beyond COVID-19 products. Moderna ESMO presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are looking ahead to Moderna’s upcoming Nov. 6 update, which could provide additional information on the cancer program, commercial outlook and financial performance. Heavy online searches indicate elevated attention, but do not necessarily represent new fundamental buying. Moderna Nov. 6 outlook
• Negative Sentiment: William Blair lowered Moderna to Market Perform from Outperform, citing valuation concerns after the stock’s sharp rally. Analysts have also reduced their FY2028 EPS estimate, highlighting the risk that current expectations already price in substantial oncology success. William Blair Moderna rating downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Comparisons with GSK emphasize Moderna’s premium valuation and ongoing execution risk. GSK’s specialty-medicines growth, broader pipeline and dividend may appear more attractive to investors seeking established cash generation rather than higher-risk oncology upside. GSK versus Moderna growth comparison

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Loop Capital set a $135.00 price objective on Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Moderna from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of Moderna in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Moderna has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $107.10.

Moderna Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a market capitalization of $88.93 billion, a PE ratio of -27.88 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $179.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $84.64.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($2.03) by $0.06. The company had revenue of $145.00 million during 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%. The firm's revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($2.13) EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moderna

In related news, insider Shannon Klinger sold 3,471 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.95, for a total transaction of $485,766.45. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 74,129 shares in the company, valued at $10,374,353.55. The trade was a 4.47% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO James M. Mock sold 34,836 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 59,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,985,343.75. This trade represents a 36.98% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 197,251 shares of company stock valued at $33,875,904. 10.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moderna

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRNA. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Moderna in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,142,877,000. Theleme Partners LLP bought a new stake in shares of Moderna during the second quarter valued at approximately $564,272,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Moderna by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,461,574 shares of the company's stock valued at $172,384,000 after purchasing an additional 103,977 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Moderna by 59.3% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,392,693 shares of the company's stock worth $121,549,000 after acquiring an additional 891,072 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Merck & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Moderna in the 2nd quarter worth $161,642,545. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Moderna Company Profile

Moderna, Inc is a biotechnology company that develops medicines and vaccines using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. Its platform is designed to instruct cells to produce proteins that can stimulate immune responses or support the treatment of disease. The company's research programs span infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, autoimmune conditions and other therapeutic areas.

Moderna's commercial products include Spikevax, an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, and mRESVIA, an mRNA vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in older adults.

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