Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Trading Up 11% - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Moderna shares surged about 11% after positive Phase 3 results for its personalized mRNA melanoma vaccine, intismeran autogene, used with Merck’s Keytruda. The data represent a major validation of Moderna’s cancer-vaccine platform and broader commercial prospects.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: the consensus rating is Hold with a $74.31 target price, well below the recent share price near $154. Upgrades and bullish oncology expectations are offset by concerns about valuation, competition, development risks, and potential profit-taking.
• Despite beating quarterly revenue and EPS expectations, Moderna remains unprofitable, reporting a $1.97 loss per share and a negative net margin. Analysts expect a full-year loss, meaning the stock’s outlook depends heavily on future clinical and commercial success.

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded up 11% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $154.27 and last traded at $154.1420. 7,916,636 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 28% from the average session volume of 10,958,646 shares. The stock had previously closed at $138.89.

Key Moderna News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna and Merck reported positive Phase 3 INTerpath-001 results for intismeran autogene, an individualized neoantigen mRNA therapy used with Keytruda in patients with resected melanoma. The result was described as the first positive late-stage readout showing an mRNA cancer vaccine improving on Keytruda alone, strengthening confidence in Moderna’s technology and long-term commercial opportunity. Cancer Vaccine Breakthrough Lifts 5 Biotech Names
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have upgraded Moderna following the oncology data, while management has highlighted substantial potential for intismeran autogene. The analyst support is helping Moderna outperform other mRNA-focused biotech names and the broader sector. Moderna Stock Edges Higher Tuesday: What's Happening?
• Neutral Sentiment: Moderna’s shares are moving independently of BioNTech and other biotech stocks, suggesting the market is specifically rewarding the company’s cancer-vaccine readout rather than making a broad mRNA trade. Moderna Rallies 11%, BioNTech Ticks Up
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about profit-taking after Moderna’s sharp rally, the lack of an immediate new clinical or regulatory catalyst, development and commercialization risks, competition, and threats from China’s growing biotechnology investment. These factors could contribute to continued volatility. Myriad Genetics and Moderna Shares Plummet

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup boosted their price target on Moderna from $41.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Brookline Capital Markets restated a "buy" rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Moderna from $40.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Moderna has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $74.31.

Moderna Stock Up 13.1%

The firm has a market capitalization of $62.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -19.63 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $70.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $56.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 2.18.

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, topping the consensus estimate of ($2.03) by $0.06. Moderna had a negative return on equity of 28.30% and a negative net margin of 141.43%.The business had revenue of $145.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $102.93 million. During the same period last year, the company earned ($2.13) EPS. Moderna's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Moderna

In other Moderna news, insider Shannon Thyme Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $173,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 67,468 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,373,400. This trade represents a 4.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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, President Stephen Hoge sold 53,336 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.37, for a total transaction of $2,739,870.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the president owned 1,483,848 shares in the company, valued at $76,225,271.76. This trade represents a 3.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 10.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Moderna in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Archer Investment Corp bought a new position in shares of Moderna in the second quarter valued at $36,000. Canton Hathaway LLC bought a new position in Moderna in the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Moderna in the second quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new position in Moderna during the 2nd quarter valued at $46,000. 75.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Moderna Company Profile

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.

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