C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. Purchases New Shares in Moderna, Inc. $MRNA

C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 5,255 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $368,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Moderna during the first quarter worth about $899,000. Merck & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Moderna during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $161,642,545,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Moderna by 1,387.6% during the 2nd quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 24,218 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,696,000 after acquiring an additional 22,590 shares during the last quarter. Lingotto Investment Management LLP lifted its position in Moderna by 33.7% during the 4th quarter. Lingotto Investment Management LLP now owns 498,693 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,706,000 after acquiring an additional 125,598 shares during the period. Finally, Nicollet Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Moderna during the 4th quarter worth approximately $897,000. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moderna Price Performance

Shares of MRNA opened at $145.07 on Friday. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average is $68.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $56.10. Moderna, Inc. has a twelve month low of $22.28 and a twelve month high of $176.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.92 billion, a PE ratio of -18.16 and a beta of 0.91.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.03) by $0.06. The business had revenue of $145.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $102.93 million. Moderna had a negative return on equity of 28.30% and a negative net margin of 141.43%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($2.13) EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Moderna news, insider Shannon Thyme Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $173,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 67,468 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,373,400. This trade represents a 4.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 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 sale, the president owned 1,483,848 shares in the company, valued at $76,225,271.76. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investors are assigning substantial commercial potential to the cancer program. Jefferies reportedly estimates as much as $54 billion in peak global sales and raised its price target to $170, while coverage highlighted the possibility that the trial could establish an oncology opportunity comparable to Merck’s Keytruda franchise. Jefferies sees $54 billion peak sales for Moderna cancer therapy
• Positive Sentiment: The favorable Phase 3 outcome has triggered analyst upgrades, including William Blair moving Moderna to Outperform and Bank of America raising its rating to Neutral. The stock also reached a new 12-month high amid renewed enthusiasm for mRNA-based cancer treatments. Moderna raised to Outperform at William Blair
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading has been exceptionally volatile for a third consecutive session. Analysts attribute the sharp swings partly to heavy short interest and a subsequent short squeeze, while options activity suggests elevated volatility may persist even without new clinical information. Moderna rallies as mRNA trading whipsaws
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns remain significant after the recent surge. JPMorgan raised its price target to $77 but retained an Underweight rating, implying substantial downside from current levels. Commentary also cautioned that the clinical success does not eliminate development, regulatory, manufacturing, commercialization, and pipeline risks for Moderna or other mRNA companies. JPMorgan raises Moderna price target but keeps Underweight rating

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on MRNA. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America upgraded Moderna from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of Moderna in a report on Monday, July 20th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Loop Capital set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.50.

Moderna 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.