Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Stock Falls 7% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Moderna shares fell 7% to $231.35, despite trading volume coming in 45% below its average.
• The drop was attributed to concerns that Moderna’s raised 2026 outlook may still fall short of analyst expectations, potentially signaling future sales weakness.
• Moderna is investing in its pipeline, particularly oncology, but its growth prospects depend on turning clinical progress into commercially successful products.

Shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) fell 7% during mid-day trading on Thursday. The stock traded as low as $229.69 and last traded at $231.35. Approximately 6,946,085 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 45% from the average session volume of 12,594,145 shares. The stock had previously closed at $248.69.

Key Stories Impacting Moderna

Here are a few of the latest stories about MRNA:

• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s Analyst Day also covered commercial growth, manufacturing readiness and mid-term financial objectives, but the investment case depends on translating pipeline progress into meaningful sales. Article: Moderna Outlines Next Phase of Growth
• Negative Sentiment: The main near-term concern is that the raised 2026 outlook may still be below analyst expectations, raising the risk of a future sales shortfall. That concern appears to be outweighing the improved guidance. Article: Why Moderna Stock Dropped on Thursday
• Negative Sentiment: Moderna plans to reinvest in its pipeline, especially oncology. That could support future growth, but raises the stakes if clinical advances do not become commercially successful products. Article: Moderna Needs a Post-Covid Hit

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRNA has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Moderna from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Moderna from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Deutsche Bank initiated coverage on Moderna in a report on Friday, August 28th. They set a "hold" rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $113.75.

Moderna Trading Down 7.0%

The company has a market cap of $93.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -32.58 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 3.47 and a current ratio of 3.62. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $198.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.60.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 6th. The company reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.10) by $1.48. The business had revenue of $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $890.25 million. Moderna had a negative net margin of 110.46% and a negative return on equity of 25.79%. The firm's revenue was up 29.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.51) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Moderna, Inc. will post -5.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moderna

In other Moderna news, CFO Jamey Mock sold 34,836 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total value of $4,685,093.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 59,375 shares in the company, valued at $7,985,343.75. This represents a 36.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Also, insider Shannon Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.95, for a total value of $485,766.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 74,129 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,374,353.55. The trade was a 4.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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 have sold 197,251 shares of company stock worth $33,875,904 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 10.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Moderna during the second quarter worth approximately $2,142,877,000. Theleme Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Moderna during the second quarter worth approximately $564,272,000. Aberdeen Group plc increased its stake in shares of Moderna by 6,931.1% during the third quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 1,054,306 shares of the company's stock worth $203,028,000 after purchasing an additional 1,039,311 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Moderna by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,461,574 shares of the company's stock worth $172,384,000 after purchasing an additional 103,977 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Merck & Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in Moderna during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $161,642,545. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.33% of the company's stock.

About Moderna

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 help prevent or treat disease. The company's commercial products include Spikevax, a vaccine against COVID-19, and mRESVIA, a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Moderna also researches potential mRNA-based vaccines and treatments for infectious diseases, cancer, and rare diseases. Founded in 2010 as Moderna Therapeutics, the company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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