Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Shares Gap Down on Analyst Downgrade

Shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) gapped down before the market opened on Thursday after Rothschild & Co Redburn downgraded the stock from a neutral rating to a sell rating. The stock had previously closed at $150.81, but opened at $145.95. Rothschild & Co Redburn now has a $81.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $40.00. Moderna shares last traded at $146.5840, with a volume of 2,020,441 shares changing hands.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Brookline Capital Markets reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Moderna from $41.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. UBS Group lowered Moderna from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Moderna in a research report on Friday, August 28th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Moderna from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.72.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Stephen Hoge sold 53,336 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.37, for a total value of $2,739,870.32. Following the transaction, the president owned 1,483,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,225,271.76. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Moderna News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Encouraging Phase 3 melanoma data for Moderna’s personalized cancer vaccine, Intismeran, strengthened the investment case for its oncology pipeline. The partnership with Merck provides commercial reach and shared development costs, while future upside depends on expanding the treatment into additional tumor types. Moderna: Massive Asymmetry About What The mRNA Is
• Positive Sentiment: The FDA’s approval of a new mRNA flu vaccine supports Moderna’s commercial vaccine platform and could create a new recurring revenue opportunity beyond COVID-19. Coverage tied the approval and melanoma results to a recent rise in MRNA shares. Moderna Stock Climbs Following Melanoma Trial Success and Vaccine Approval
• Positive Sentiment: Brookline Capital Markets raised its EPS forecasts for Moderna across 2026–2028, including reducing projected losses for 2026 and 2027 and increasing its 2028 estimate to a $0.62 profit. The firm maintains a Buy rating, suggesting expectations for improving profitability.
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity, including more than 106,000 contracts in one session, indicates strong speculative interest. Short-squeeze commentary from Jim Cramer and other market coverage may also be supporting bullish momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor articles describe Moderna’s cancer-vaccine opportunity as potentially substantial but speculative; the valuation depends on successful commercialization and expansion beyond melanoma.
• Negative Sentiment: Rothschild & Co. Redburn downgraded MRNA from Neutral to Sell. Although its price target increased from $40 to $81, the target remains 46.3% below the referenced $150.81 price, signaling concern that recent gains have outpaced near-term fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: GSK is advancing a competing mRNA flu vaccine into Phase 3 development. While the news has not derailed Moderna’s recent rally, it could increase competitive pressure on pricing, market share and future vaccine revenue. GSK to Advance mRNA Influenza Vaccine Into Phase III Development

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moderna

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna during the second quarter worth approximately $2,142,877,000. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in Moderna by 6,698.1% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 27,681,318 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,938,523,000 after acquiring an additional 27,274,128 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors bought a new position in Moderna during the 4th quarter valued at $378,299,000. Theleme Partners LLP acquired a new position in Moderna during the 2nd quarter worth $564,272,000. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new position in Moderna during the 4th quarter worth $95,209,000. 75.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moderna Price Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $82.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $62.12. The company has a market cap of $58.31 billion, a P/E ratio of -18.28 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($2.03) by $0.06. The business had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $102.93 million. Moderna had a negative net margin of 141.43% and a negative return on equity of 28.30%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($2.13) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.09 earnings per share for the current year.

About Moderna

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.