Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Trading Up 12.3% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Moderna shares surged 12.3% to $172.94 on unusually heavy trading volume, with nearly 21 million shares changing hands—79% above the average session volume.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: the consensus rating is “Hold” with an average price target of $76.72, although Argus upgraded the stock to “Buy” with a $180 target.
• The company’s latest quarterly results beat expectations on both adjusted EPS and revenue, but Moderna remains unprofitable; insiders have also sold about $16.9 million worth of shares over the past 90 days.

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) shares shot up 12.3% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $176.86 and last traded at $172.94. 20,940,979 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 79% from the average session volume of 11,711,742 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.04.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRNA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Moderna from $67.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Moderna from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Moderna from $39.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Moderna from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, August 28th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $76.72.

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 fifty day moving average price of $99.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $70.29. The firm has a market cap of $69.04 billion, a P/E ratio of -21.64 and a beta of 1.10.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($2.03) by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $102.93 million. Moderna had a negative net margin of 141.43% and a negative return on equity of 28.30%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted ($2.13) EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Moderna news, CFO James M. Mock sold 34,836 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 59,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,985,343.75. This represents a 36.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, President Stephen Hoge sold 40,281 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.07, for a total value of $5,883,845.67. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 1,562,029 shares in the company, valued at $228,165,576.03. This represents a 2.51% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 118,882 shares of company stock worth $16,862,280 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 10.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moderna

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MRNA. Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Moderna during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Archer Investment Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna in the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Canton Hathaway LLC bought a new stake in shares of Moderna in the first quarter worth $31,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Moderna in the second quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new position in Moderna during the second quarter worth $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.33% of the company's stock.

Moderna Company Profile

Moderna, Inc is a biotechnology company that develops messenger RNA (mRNA) medicines and vaccines. Its platform is designed to provide cells with instructions to produce proteins that may help prevent or treat infectious diseases, cancer and other medical conditions.

The company's commercial products include Spikevax, an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, and mRESVIA, an mRNA vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in older adults. Moderna also maintains a pipeline of investigational programs in areas such as seasonal influenza, cytomegalovirus, oncology and rare diseases.

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Moderna serves markets in the United States and internationally through regulatory approvals, commercial partnerships and distribution arrangements.

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