Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) Stock Now Rated “Hold” by Sell-Side Analysts

Shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the twenty-five ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have assigned a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $77.83.

MRNA has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Moderna in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Barclays raised their price objective on Moderna from $48.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Citigroup lowered Moderna from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $60.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday.

Moderna Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of MRNA stock opened at $188.94 on Friday. Moderna has a 1 year low of $22.28 and a 1 year high of $208.90. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $122.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $78.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.43 billion, a P/E ratio of -23.65 and a beta of 1.09. 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 released its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) 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 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($2.13) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Moderna will post -6.09 EPS for the current year.

Moderna News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor interest remains strong in Moderna’s oncology program. Positive results and expectations for detailed Phase 3 melanoma data at next month’s ESMO meeting continue to support the view that the cancer-vaccine pipeline could become a major growth driver. Is A Cancer Vaccine Coming?
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna appointed Juan Andres as chief operating officer, adding leadership capacity as it prepares for the potential launch and commercial scale-up of intismeran autogene and expands its oncology portfolio. Moderna Adds Chief Operating Officer Role
• Neutral Sentiment: Buyers stepped in after the initial selloff, indicating that some investors continue to prioritize Moderna’s cancer-vaccine opportunity over valuation concerns. The company’s respiratory-vaccine expansion and oncology results also provide potential longer-term growth as COVID-19 demand normalizes. Moderna Climbs Despite Citigroup Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup downgraded Moderna to Sell from Hold, arguing that the stock’s outsized 2026 rally has priced in unrealistic expectations for future cancer-drug sales. Citi raised its price target to $80 from $60, but the target remains substantially below the current trading level, underscoring the valuation risk. Moderna Stock Has Run Too Far, Too Fast
• Negative Sentiment: The downgrade highlights uncertainty over whether early oncology data can translate into commercially significant sales. After the sharp run-up, profit-taking and skepticism about execution, launch timing, and Moderna’s still-negative earnings profile are weighing on sentiment. Moderna Stock Slumps as Citi Says It’s Time to Sell

Insider Activity at Moderna

In other Moderna news, CFO James M. Mock sold 34,836 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total value of $4,685,093.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 59,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,985,343.75. The trade was a 36.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Shannon Klinger sold 3,471 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.95, for a total transaction of $485,766.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 74,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,374,353.55. This represents a 4.47% decrease in their position. 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 118,882 shares of company stock worth $16,862,280. 10.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Moderna

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Moderna during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,142,877,000. Capital World Investors bought a new stake in Moderna during the fourth quarter worth about $378,299,000. Theleme Partners LLP bought a new stake in Moderna during the second quarter worth about $564,272,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna during the fourth quarter worth approximately $79,707,000. Finally, Merck & Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna during the second quarter worth approximately $161,642,545. Institutional investors own 75.33% of the company’s stock.

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 help prevent or treat disease, supporting the company’s work across infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, autoimmune conditions, and cardiovascular diseases.

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.