Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Price Target Raised to $90.00

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) had its price objective hoisted by TD Cowen from $40.00 to $90.00 in a report released on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. TD Cowen currently has a hold rating on the stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of Moderna in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Moderna from $40.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Moderna in a research report on Friday, August 28th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Moderna from $48.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Moderna from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Moderna presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $103.95.

Moderna Stock Down 1.2%

MRNA opened at $200.10 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $172.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.96. 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 1-year low of $22.28 and a 1-year high of $254.48.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last issued 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. Moderna had a negative return on equity of 28.30% and a negative net margin of 141.43%. The company had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $102.93 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($2.13) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Moderna will post -6.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moderna

In other news, 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 transaction of $485,766.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 74,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,374,353.55. This trade represents a 4.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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 40,294 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.13, for a total value of $5,807,574.22. Following the sale, the president directly owned 1,525,858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $219,921,913.54. This represents a 2.57% 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 197,251 shares of company stock valued at $33,875,904. Corporate insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moderna

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MRNA. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP purchased a new position in Moderna in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Ramsey Quantitative Systems acquired a new stake in Moderna during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in Moderna by 53.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Moderna during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Archer Investment Corp purchased a new stake in Moderna during the second quarter valued at about $36,000. 75.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna and Merck reported positive Phase 3 INTerpath-001 results for the personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, intismeran autogene, used with Keytruda. The treatment reduced the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 42%, while also improving distant metastasis-free survival. Oncologists described the findings as a major advance in melanoma care. Nature article
• Positive Sentiment: The results strengthen the case for Moderna’s oncology pipeline and could support a major future revenue stream beyond COVID-19 vaccines, particularly if additional trials demonstrate benefits in other cancers. Moderna has also advanced its mRNA bird-flu vaccine into a late-stage trial, adding another potential pipeline catalyst. Bird flu vaccine trial article
• Neutral Sentiment: Moderna’s recent addition to the Nasdaq-100 and analyst support provide structural and sentiment benefits, but these factors have less immediate influence than the cancer-vaccine readout. The stock had already posted an exceptionally strong rally, leaving the valuation highly sensitive to new clinical information. Nasdaq-100 inclusion article
• Negative Sentiment: Partial trial data appeared on social media ahead of Moderna and Merck’s planned ESMO presentation, triggering extreme volatility and a sharp selloff. The premature release disrupted the expected news event and encouraged a “sell-the-news” reaction. CNBC data leak article
• Negative Sentiment: Although clinically meaningful, the 42% reduction fell short of the market’s very high expectations after Moderna’s dramatic run-up. Investors also questioned whether the results will translate beyond melanoma, how quickly the product could reach the market, and its eventual commercial opportunity. The breach of near-term technical support and heightened trading swings add further pressure. Zacks analysis

Moderna Company Profile

Moderna, Inc is a biotechnology company that develops medicines and vaccines using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. Its platform is designed to instruct cells to produce proteins that can stimulate immune responses or support the treatment of disease. The company’s research programs span infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, autoimmune conditions and other therapeutic areas.

Moderna’s commercial products include Spikevax, an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, and mRESVIA, an mRNA vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in older adults.