Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Director Sells $433,878.92 in Stock

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) Director Noubar Afeyan sold 9,263 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.84, for a total transaction of $433,878.92. Following the sale, the director directly owned 3,924 shares in the company, valued at $183,800.16. This trade represents a 70.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Moderna Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MRNA opened at $46.88 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $50.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $41.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.41 and a quick ratio of 2.35. Moderna, Inc. has a one year low of $22.28 and a one year high of $59.55. The company has a market cap of $18.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.75 and a beta of 1.05.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported ($3.40) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($3.02) by ($0.38). Moderna had a negative net margin of 143.55% and a negative return on equity of 26.64%. The firm had revenue of $389.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $236.37 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($2.52) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 260.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moderna

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in Moderna by 35.1% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 801 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board boosted its holdings in shares of Moderna by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 15,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $463,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of Moderna by 39.7% in the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 341 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in shares of Moderna by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 6,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $200,000 after buying an additional 348 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Moderna by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,732 shares of the company’s stock worth $405,000 after acquiring an additional 353 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRNA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $45.00 target price on shares of Moderna in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Monday, February 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Moderna from $43.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Evercore set a $35.00 target price on shares of Moderna in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Moderna presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $35.73.

More Moderna News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna named James Mock as its new chief financial officer, a move that should help stabilize leadership in a key finance role. James Mock Joins Moderna as Chief Financial Officer
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna and Merck reported five-year data showing their melanoma combination therapy reduced the risk of cancer spreading by 59%, supporting the company’s oncology pipeline. Moderna, Merck cancer combo cuts melanoma spread risk at five years
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with a reported average rating of “Reduce,” suggesting the market still has reservations about near-term execution. Moderna, Inc. Receives Average Rating of “Reduce” from Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: The FDA’s rare advisory panel review of Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine introduces regulatory uncertainty for a program investors had been watching closely. USFDA to Convene Expert Panel Review for Moderna’s mRNA Flu Vaccine
• Negative Sentiment: Related reports said Moderna is facing FDA scrutiny on its flu shot, and the added regulatory review has been a drag on the stock. FDA plans rare advisory hearing to debate Moderna’s flu shot

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.