Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Stock Price Up 7.1% – Still a Buy?

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA)’s stock price shot up 7.1% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $49.24 and last traded at $49.89. 5,628,183 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 57% from the average session volume of 13,154,808 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.60.

Key Stories Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: FDA will review Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine application after an initial refusal-to-file, with regulators now targeting a decision by Aug. 5, 2026 — a reversal that boosts the commercial outlook for a new recurring vaccine market and spurred an earlier jump in the stock. Moderna Stock Jumps After FDA Reverses Course on Flu Shot
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs analyst flagged upside for MRNA, an institutional vote of confidence that can support sentiment and buying interest. Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, The Goldman Sachs Group Analyst Says
• Neutral Sentiment: Moderna will present at TD Cowen and Barclays healthcare conferences in March — routine investor access that may provide more management detail but is unlikely by itself to move the stock dramatically. Moderna to Present at Upcoming Conferences in March 2026
• Negative Sentiment: BioNTech sued Moderna in Delaware federal court alleging Moderna’s mNexspike infringes a patent tied to BioNTech/Pfizer’s Comirnaty—new litigation increases legal risk, potential damages or injunctions, and heightens competitive/legal uncertainty for Moderna’s COVID-19/respiratory vaccine portfolio. BioNTech sues Moderna for patent infringement over COVID-19 shots
• Negative Sentiment: A court recently rejected two of Moderna’s defenses in its patent dispute with Arbutus, representing another legal setback that could increase exposure and costs from long-running mRNA technology litigation. Court Rejects Two Moderna Defenses in mRNA Vaccine Patent Row With Arbutus

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on MRNA. Leerink Partners reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Moderna in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Monday, January 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Moderna from $36.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Moderna presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $31.47.

Moderna Trading Up 0.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 3.22 and a current ratio of 3.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.49 billion, a PE ratio of -6.86 and a beta of 1.32. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $30.44.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The company reported ($2.11) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.79) by $0.68. Moderna had a negative net margin of 145.16% and a negative return on equity of 30.15%. The firm had revenue of $678.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $611.14 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($2.91) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 33.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Moderna, Inc. will post -9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moderna

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moderna

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hamilton Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Moderna in the 4th quarter worth about $3,098,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Moderna by 143.3% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 68,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,013,000 after buying an additional 40,202 shares in the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp bought a new position in shares of Moderna in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,416,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its stake in Moderna by 1,111.0% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 108,650 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,204,000 after purchasing an additional 99,678 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury boosted its position in shares of Moderna by 103.6% during the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 77,015 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,271,000 after buying an additional 39,195 shares during the last quarter. 75.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.