Traders Buy High Volume of Moderna Call Options (NASDAQ:MRNA)

Key Points

• Moderna saw a significant increase in options trading, with 242,121 call options purchased, marking a 197% rise compared to average daily volume.
• Wall Street analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Hold" with a targeted average price of $43.59 for Moderna, as various reports reflect varied outlooks on the stock.
• Institutional investors own 75.33% of Moderna's stock, with several firms recently increasing their stakes in the company, indicating strong institutional support.

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Friday. Traders bought 242,121 call options on the stock. Thisisanincreaseofapproximately197% compared to the typical daily volume of 81,599 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Cowen assumed coverage on Moderna in a research note on Sunday, July 13th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. UBS Group cut their price target on Moderna from $78.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. William Blair restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Monday, June 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $26.00 price target on Moderna in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $32.00 price target on shares of Moderna in a report on Friday, August 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $43.59.

Moderna Trading Up 5.0%

MRNA opened at $28.02 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $10.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.72 and a beta of 1.83. Moderna has a 12 month low of $23.15 and a 12 month high of $91.99. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $29.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $29.51.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The company reported ($2.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($2.99) by $0.86. Moderna had a negative return on equity of 25.96% and a negative net margin of 94.31%. The firm had revenue of $142.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $116.26 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($3.33) EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 41.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Moderna will post -9.61 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Moderna

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in Moderna during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Moderna by 26.4% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 27,865 shares of the company's stock valued at $769,000 after purchasing an additional 5,819 shares during the last quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Moderna by 28.8% in the second quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 48,865 shares of the company's stock worth $1,348,000 after buying an additional 10,920 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Moderna in the second quarter worth about $318,000. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Moderna in the second quarter worth about $206,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.33% of the company's stock.

Moderna Company Profile

Moderna, Inc, a biotechnology company, discovers, develops, and commercializes messenger RNA therapeutics and vaccines for the treatment of infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, autoimmune, and cardiovascular diseases in the United States, Europe, and internationally. Its respiratory vaccines include COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus, spikevax, and hMPV/PIV3 vaccines; latent vaccines comprise cytomegalovirus, epstein-barr virus, herpes simplex virus, varicella zoster virus, and human immunodeficiency virus vaccines; public health vaccines consists of Zika, Nipah, Mpox vaccines; and infectious diseases vaccines, such as lyme and norovirus vaccines.

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