Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Stock Price Up 4.6% - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Moderna shares jumped 4.6% to about $226, with trading volume 34% above average, as investor enthusiasm grew around its cancer-vaccine results and Nasdaq-100 inclusion.
• The company’s personalized cancer vaccine partnership with Merck could become easier and more profitable to manufacture, while a next-generation flu vaccine under review in Canada offers an additional growth opportunity.
• Despite the rally, analysts maintain an average “Hold” rating with a $100.60 price target, warning that Moderna’s elevated valuation leaves the stock vulnerable to setbacks in vaccine results, approvals or commercialization.

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) shares shot up 4.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $227.09 and last traded at $226.30. 16,501,522 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 34% from the average daily volume of 12,272,371 shares. The stock had previously closed at $216.25.

Key Headlines Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Merck CEO Rob Davis said the personalized cancer vaccine developed with Moderna should become faster to manufacture over time. He described the current process as complex but increasingly standardized, supporting the potential for improved scalability, commercial execution and margins. Merck CEO tells CNBC he expects breakthrough cancer vaccine will become faster to make
• Positive Sentiment: Investor enthusiasm around positive mRNA cancer-vaccine results, together with Moderna’s inclusion in the Nasdaq-100, has driven a sharp weekly gain and lifted the company’s market capitalization by about $4.2 billion. MRNA Stock Gains Over $4B in a Week: Time to Buy, Hold or Sell?
• Positive Sentiment: Health Canada is reviewing Moderna’s next-generation mRNA influenza vaccine, which could reduce hospitalizations and provide another potential commercial growth driver beyond COVID-19 and oncology. Health Canada reviewing new mRNA flu vaccine
• Neutral Sentiment: Moderna will report third-quarter 2026 results and provide a corporate update on November 6. The announcement itself contains no financial results, but the event may become a near-term catalyst for revenue, pipeline and cash-use guidance. Moderna to Report Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary cautions that Moderna’s rapid revaluation and premium versus BioNTech leave the stock vulnerable if cancer-vaccine results, approvals or commercialization progress disappoint. Moderna Is Now Worth More Than 3X as Much as BioNTech

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRNA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Singular Research upgraded shares of Moderna to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Berenberg Bank raised their price target on shares of Moderna from $45.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Moderna in a report on Friday, August 28th. They set a "hold" rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $150.00 price objective (up from $60.00) on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $100.60.

Moderna Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $90.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -28.32 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 2.18. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $146.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $87.45.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share (EPS) 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 analyst estimates of $102.93 million. Moderna had a negative net margin of 141.43% and a negative return on equity of 28.30%. Moderna's revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($2.13) EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Moderna news, CFO James M. 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Shannon Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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 sold 118,882 shares of company stock worth $16,862,280 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 10.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Moderna

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MRNA. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Moderna during the third quarter worth about $202,000. Krilogy Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Moderna in the 3rd quarter valued at about $327,000. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC bought a new position in shares of Moderna during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,926,000. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC bought a new position in shares of Moderna during the 3rd quarter valued at about $234,000. Finally, Gallagher Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Moderna in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,244,000. 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, supporting the company's work across infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, autoimmune conditions, and cardiovascular diseases.

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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