Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Hits New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $56.60 and last traded at $53.86, with a volume of 5328518 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $49.83.

Moderna News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Settlement clears litigation overhang — Moderna reached an agreement that resolves global disputes tied to its COVID vaccine, removing a major legal cloud that had pressured the stock and letting the company refocus on development and commercialization. Moderna rises as up to $2.25 billion settlement for COVID vaccine patent dispute to remove overhang
• Positive Sentiment: EU regulatory boost for combo vaccine — An EU CHMP positive opinion for Moderna’s mCombriax (COVID‑flu combo) improves the company’s near‑term commercial outlook in Europe and supports future vaccine revenue diversification. Moderna’s dual Covid-flu vaccine poised for EMA approval on positive CHMP take
• Neutral Sentiment: Market reaction and coverage — Broad market stories and premarket movers lists note Moderna among top gainers as the settlement and regulatory news hit headlines, helping momentum but not adding new fundamental data. Moderna and Ross Stores Lead Stock Gainers on Wednesday
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor/analyst context — Recent conference presentations and write‑ups revisit Moderna’s valuation, oncology programs and cash runway; these provide context for longer‑term upside but won’t immediately change near‑term fundamentals. Moderna, Inc. (MRNA) Presents at TD Cowen 46th Annual Health Care Conference Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Material cash/earnings impact and contingencies — Moderna will record a significant charge (reports cite an initial $950M payment with potential exposure up to $2.25B) in Q1 to resolve the disputes; the company also plans an appeal arguing limited liability, so contingent liabilities and near‑term cash guidance were updated. Moderna to Pay $950 Million to Settle Patent Cases From Arbutus, Genevant
• Negative Sentiment: Underlying business risks remain — Analysts and commentators continue to flag the steep post‑pandemic revenue decline, reliance on upcoming Phase‑3 oncology readouts and regulatory/commercial execution as key risks that could limit a durable rerating absent positive clinical results. Moderna Stock (MRNA): Is It a Buy Now? 7 Questions After the Crash

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on MRNA. Evercore set a $35.00 target price on Moderna in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Moderna from a “market perform” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Monday, February 16th. Wolfe Research reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $17.00 price target on shares of Moderna in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Moderna from $63.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $32.33.

Moderna Trading Up 10.0%

The stock has a market capitalization of $21.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.54 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a fifty day moving average of $41.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.72. The company has a quick ratio of 3.22, a current ratio of 3.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The company reported ($2.11) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.79) by $0.68. The company had revenue of $678.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $611.14 million. Moderna had a negative net margin of 145.16% and a negative return on equity of 30.15%. Moderna’s revenue for the quarter was down 33.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($2.91) EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Moderna, Inc. will post -9.61 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moderna

In other Moderna news, President Stephen Hoge sold 160,009 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.84, for a total value of $7,814,839.56. Following the sale, the president directly owned 1,457,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,180,734.68. This trade represents a 9.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Noubar Afeyan sold 23,853 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.48, for a total transaction of $703,186.44. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $115,679.52. This represents a 85.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 184,366 shares of company stock worth $8,531,936 over the last ninety days. 10.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moderna

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRNA. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in Moderna by 94.1% in the second quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 920 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 446 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new position in shares of Moderna in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in Moderna during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Moderna in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted its position in Moderna by 3,775.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 1,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 1,208 shares in the last quarter. 75.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.