Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA)

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) saw some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock investors acquired 153,678 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 72% compared to the typical daily volume of 89,147 call options.

More Moderna News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cancer-vaccine momentum is the primary catalyst. Moderna and Merck’s personalized cancer-vaccine program previously delivered positive Phase 3 melanoma results, improving recurrence-free and distant-metastasis-free survival versus KEYTRUDA alone. Investors are now watching for additional late-stage data and potential regulatory filings, including presentations at upcoming medical meetings. Moderna Rises as Cancer-Vaccine Momentum and Pipeline Visibility Stay in Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Upcoming clinical-trial disclosures are sustaining investor interest. Coverage says Moderna is expected to unveil late-stage cancer-vaccine data at ESMO, giving traders a near-term event that could further validate the company’s mRNA platform. Moderna to unveil late-stage cancer vaccine data at ESMO
• Positive Sentiment: Potential Middle East investment added to the bullish narrative. Moderna is reportedly holding high-level investment discussions with the United Arab Emirates, raising expectations for additional capital, partnerships or commercial opportunities. Moderna Holds High-Level Investment Talks With UAE
• Positive Sentiment: The first mRNA flu vaccine’s availability for older adults supports Moderna’s broader platform story and could provide a new commercial opportunity beyond COVID-19 products. The first mRNA flu vaccine is now available for older adults
• Neutral Sentiment: Moderna’s chief executive emphasized a measured approach to innovation. The comments reinforce the company’s effort to build a diversified pipeline, but do not represent a new financial forecast or clinical result. Moderna CEO’s Realistic Approach to Innovation
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation risk is becoming more prominent after the sharp rerating. One report characterized MRNA as expensive after its surge, while a separate report cited an average analyst target of $76.72—well below the current trading range—suggesting substantial downside if pipeline expectations weaken. Moderna Stock Has Average Target Price of $76.72
• Negative Sentiment: Reported insider activity has been entirely selling. Moderna executives and directors reportedly made no open-market purchases while selling shares during the past six months, a potential cautionary signal following the stock’s rapid advance.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moderna

In other news, President Stephen Hoge sold 40,294 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.13, for a total value of $5,807,574.22. Following the sale, the president directly owned 1,525,858 shares in the company, valued at approximately $219,921,913.54. This trade represents a 2.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Shannon Klinger sold 3,471 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.95, for a total transaction of $485,766.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 74,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,374,353.55. The trade was 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. Insiders have sold 118,882 shares of company stock worth $16,862,280 over the last quarter. Insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Moderna

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MRNA. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its stake in Moderna by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 3,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $246,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in Moderna by 35.1% in the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 801 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board increased 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 worth $463,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of Moderna by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 6,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $200,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the period. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its position in shares of Moderna by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 2,640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $78,000 after buying an additional 382 shares during the last quarter. 75.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Moderna Stock Performance

MRNA traded up $4.06 on Friday, reaching $198.88. 13,719,809 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,855,892. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 2.18. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $109.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.40 billion, a PE ratio of -24.89 and a beta of 1.10. Moderna has a fifty-two week low of $22.28 and a fifty-two week high of $202.67.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 return on equity of 28.30% and a negative net margin of 141.43%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted ($2.13) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Moderna will post -6.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MRNA shares. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Moderna from $41.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. CLSA upgraded Moderna to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 28th. Finally, William Blair initiated coverage on Moderna in a research report on Friday, August 28th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $76.72.

About Moderna

Moderna, Inc is a biotechnology company that develops messenger RNA (mRNA) medicines and vaccines. Its platform is designed to provide cells with instructions to produce proteins that may help prevent or treat infectious diseases, cancer and other medical conditions.

The company’s commercial products include Spikevax, an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, and mRESVIA, an mRNA vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in older adults. Moderna also maintains a pipeline of investigational programs in areas such as seasonal influenza, cytomegalovirus, oncology and rare diseases.

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Moderna serves markets in the United States and internationally through regulatory approvals, commercial partnerships and distribution arrangements.