Moderna Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:MRNA)

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Friday. Traders bought 153,678 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 72% compared to the average daily volume of 89,147 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRNA has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Moderna from $67.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Friday. CLSA raised shares of Moderna to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Moderna in a research note on Friday, August 28th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.72.

Moderna Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MRNA traded up $4.06 on Friday, hitting $198.88. The stock had a trading volume of 13,719,809 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,855,892. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $109.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a current ratio of 2.29. Moderna has a twelve month low of $22.28 and a twelve month high of $202.67. The company has a market capitalization of $79.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -24.89 and a beta of 1.10.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($2.03) by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $145.00 million during 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($2.13) EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Moderna will post -6.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Moderna News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cancer-vaccine momentum is the primary catalyst. Moderna and Merck’s personalized cancer-vaccine program previously delivered positive Phase 3 melanoma results, improving recurrence-free and distant-metastasis-free survival versus KEYTRUDA alone. Investors are now watching for additional late-stage data and potential regulatory filings, including presentations at upcoming medical meetings. Moderna Rises as Cancer-Vaccine Momentum and Pipeline Visibility Stay in Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Upcoming clinical-trial disclosures are sustaining investor interest. Coverage says Moderna is expected to unveil late-stage cancer-vaccine data at ESMO, giving traders a near-term event that could further validate the company’s mRNA platform. Moderna to unveil late-stage cancer vaccine data at ESMO
• Positive Sentiment: Potential Middle East investment added to the bullish narrative. Moderna is reportedly holding high-level investment discussions with the United Arab Emirates, raising expectations for additional capital, partnerships or commercial opportunities. Moderna Holds High-Level Investment Talks With UAE
• Positive Sentiment: The first mRNA flu vaccine’s availability for older adults supports Moderna’s broader platform story and could provide a new commercial opportunity beyond COVID-19 products. The first mRNA flu vaccine is now available for older adults
• Neutral Sentiment: Moderna’s chief executive emphasized a measured approach to innovation. The comments reinforce the company’s effort to build a diversified pipeline, but do not represent a new financial forecast or clinical result. Moderna CEO’s Realistic Approach to Innovation
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation risk is becoming more prominent after the sharp rerating. One report characterized MRNA as expensive after its surge, while a separate report cited an average analyst target of $76.72—well below the current trading range—suggesting substantial downside if pipeline expectations weaken. Moderna Stock Has Average Target Price of $76.72
• Negative Sentiment: Reported insider activity has been entirely selling. Moderna executives and directors reportedly made no open-market purchases while selling shares during the past six months, a potential cautionary signal following the stock’s rapid advance.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moderna

In related news, CFO James M. Mock sold 34,836 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total value of $4,685,093.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,985,343.75. This represents a 36.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Shannon Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.95, for a total value of $485,766.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 74,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,374,353.55. This trade represents a 4.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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. Insiders sold a total of 118,882 shares of company stock valued at $16,862,280 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MRNA. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its position in Moderna by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 3,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $246,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in shares of Moderna by 35.1% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 801 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board lifted its position in shares of Moderna by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 15,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $463,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of Moderna by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 6,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $200,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its stake in shares of Moderna by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 2,640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.33% of the company’s stock.

About Moderna

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.