Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Shares Gap Up Following Analyst Upgrade

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday after The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on the stock from $36.00 to $41.00. The stock had previously closed at $43.93, but opened at $46.69. The Goldman Sachs Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Moderna shares last traded at $46.5050, with a volume of 6,606,457 shares changing hands.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Moderna from $24.00 to $21.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 10th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $36.00 target price on shares of Moderna in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley set a $30.00 price target on Moderna in a research report on Monday. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $31.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Noubar Afeyan sold 23,853 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.48, for a total value of $703,186.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $115,679.52. This represents a 85.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 10.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: FDA reverses course and will review Moderna’s seasonal flu shot (mRNA‑1010); if approved it could be available for the 2026‑27 flu season. The FDA reversed course and agreed to begin a review of Moderna’s seasonal flu shot
• Positive Sentiment: FDA accepted Moderna’s revised biologics license application after a Type A meeting and set a PDUFA goal date of Aug. 5, 2026; Moderna proposed a regulatory pathway split by age (full approval 50–64, accelerated approval 65+ with post‑marketing study). This gives investors a clear regulatory timetable. Moderna Announces the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will Initiate the Review of Its Investigational Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Submission
• Positive Sentiment: Mid‑stage trial: Moderna’s two‑in‑one mRNA vaccine targeting flu and COVID produced robust, durable immune responses with no safety concerns in the reported trial — supports the company’s strategy for combination respiratory vaccines. Health Rounds: Moderna combo flu/COVID vaccine succeeds in mid-stage trial
• Positive Sentiment: European Commission granted marketing authorization for Moderna’s mNEXSPIKE (mRNA‑1283) for ages 12+, expanding the company’s commercial footprint in Europe for COVID vaccines. Moderna Receives European Commission Marketing Authorization for COVID-19 Vaccine mNEXSPIKE
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target from $36 to $41 but kept a “neutral” rating — a modest signal of valuation upside but not a bullish analyst endorsement. Benzinga
• Negative Sentiment: Recent headlines around the FDA’s prior refusal and critical commentary (editorials, expert concern) had created regulatory uncertainty and reputational noise; while the review initiation is positive, the earlier RTF shows potential friction with regulators. U.S. rejection of new mRNA flu vaccine ‘sends chills,’ epidemiologist says

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moderna

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Moderna during the second quarter valued at approximately $94,910,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Moderna by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,708,705 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,150,743,000 after buying an additional 1,312,192 shares during the last quarter. Legal Advantage Investments Inc. bought a new position in Moderna during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,244,000. Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. increased its position in Moderna by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. now owns 918,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,333,000 after buying an additional 21,765 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp purchased a new position in Moderna during the third quarter valued at $2,351,000. Institutional investors own 75.33% of the company’s stock.

Moderna Stock Up 5.8%

The firm has a market capitalization of $18.17 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.40 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $30.04. The company has a quick ratio of 3.22, a current ratio of 3.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The company reported ($2.11) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($2.79) by $0.68. The firm had revenue of $678.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $611.14 million. Moderna had a negative return on equity of 30.15% and a negative net margin of 145.16%.The company’s revenue was down 33.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned ($2.91) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Moderna, Inc. will post -9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Moderna

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.