Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) issued its earnings results on Friday. The company reported ($3.40) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($4.44) by $1.04, Briefing.com reports. Moderna had a negative return on equity of 30.15% and a negative net margin of 145.16%.The firm had revenue of $389.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $236.37 million. During the same period last year, the company earned ($2.52) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 260.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Here are the key takeaways from Moderna’s conference call:

• Q1 revenue of $400 million (driven by U.K. strategic partnerships) and a reiteration of up to 10% revenue growth for 2026, alongside a 26% year‑over‑year reduction in adjusted cash cost and ending cash/investments of $7.5 billion.
• Moderna recorded an $878 million cost‑of‑sales charge from a settlement and will make a lump sum payment of $950 million in Q3 2026, with a contingent additional payment of up to $1.3 billion if the Federal Circuit affirms liability under Section 1498; the company plans to appeal and views further payment as not probable.
• Regulatory and commercial momentum in Europe with EU approvals for mCOMBRIAX (the world’s first flu+COVID combo) and Spikevax, and a U.S. PDUFA date of August 5 for the seasonal flu vaccine mRNA‑1010, expected to help drive EU growth in 2027.
• Pipeline advancement with initiation of a phase III intismeran trial in high‑risk stage 1 non‑small cell lung cancer (including a monotherapy arm), an interim 5‑year update for intismeran in adjuvant melanoma due at ASCO, a fully enrolled phase III norovirus study and a pivotal readout for propionic acidemia expected in 2026.

Moderna Stock Performance

Shares of MRNA traded down $0.57 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $45.37. 10,215,449 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,738,576. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.24 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.29 and a quick ratio of 3.22. Moderna has a twelve month low of $22.28 and a twelve month high of $59.55. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $51.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.29.

Insider Activity at Moderna

In other news, President Stephen Hoge sold 160,009 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.84, for a total transaction of $7,814,839.56. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 1,457,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,180,734.68. This trade represents a 9.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Moderna by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,732 shares of the company’s stock valued at $405,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in shares of Moderna by 21.9% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,153 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund boosted its position in shares of Moderna by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 9,334 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 546 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Moderna by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 11,767 shares of the company’s stock worth $357,000 after purchasing an additional 566 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its position in shares of Moderna by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 110,812 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,862,000 after purchasing an additional 687 shares in the last quarter. 75.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Moderna News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 revenue sharply exceeded estimates — $389M (+~260% YoY) driven by strong international COVID‑19 vaccine sales, showing demand outside the U.S. and a meaningful top‑line rebound. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline and upcoming regulatory catalysts remain market drivers — the mRNA‑1010 seasonal flu PDUFA (Aug. 5) and advancing oncology programs give upside optionality beyond COVID vaccines. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Company reiterated 2026 outlook (up to ~10% revenue growth) and signaled continued operating expense reductions excluding the non‑recurring settlement — suggests management expects sustainable margin improvements over time. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue concentration shifted heavily to ex‑U.S. markets (~80% of Q1 revenue), which helped the beat but increases sensitivity to international procurement cycles and government deals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A $0.9B one‑time litigation settlement was recorded in Q1, producing a wider GAAP loss (GAAP EPS of $(3.40)) and negative gross/net margins — this sizable charge weighed on the earnings print despite the revenue beat. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Stock reaction was volatile — shares initially rallied on the revenue beat but later moved lower as investors digested the settlement, continued unprofitability, and reliance on a few government contracts. Article Title

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on MRNA. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Moderna from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. BMO Capital Markets raised Moderna from a “market perform” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Barclays increased their target price on Moderna from $25.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Monday, February 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Moderna from $36.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Two investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $34.07.

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.