Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” from Analysts

Shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the twenty research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have issued a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $32.3333.

MRNA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Moderna in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Moderna from $36.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Evercore set a $35.00 price target on shares of Moderna in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Moderna from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th.

Moderna Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MRNA opened at $52.52 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $20.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.22 and a beta of 1.29. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $43.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.26. 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 has a twelve month low of $22.28 and a twelve month high of $59.55.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The company reported ($2.11) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($2.79) by $0.68. Moderna had a negative return on equity of 30.15% and a negative net margin of 145.16%.The company had revenue of $678.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $611.14 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($2.91) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 33.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Moderna will post -9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Moderna

In other Moderna news, President Stephen Hoge sold 160,009 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the president owned 1,457,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,180,734.68. This represents a 9.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Noubar Afeyan sold 23,853 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.48, for a total value of $703,186.44. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $115,679.52. This represents a 85.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 184,366 shares of company stock worth $8,531,936. 10.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital World Investors bought a new position in Moderna in the fourth quarter worth $378,299,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Moderna in the 2nd quarter valued at $94,910,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Moderna in the 4th quarter valued at $95,209,000. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its stake in shares of Moderna by 364.5% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,869,271 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,163,000 after buying an additional 2,251,497 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Moderna by 19.1% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,877,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $244,458,000 after acquiring an additional 1,420,690 shares during the period. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Moderna News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Settlement clears legal overhang: Moderna reached deals to resolve long‑running LNP patent litigation, which investors interpret as removing a major uncertainty that had been capping the stock. The market initially reacted positively to news the dispute is resolved. Moderna to pay up to $2.25B to end mRNA vaccine patent fight Moderna fronts $950M to settle yearslong COVID patent litigation
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish options flow: Unusually heavy call buying (112,509 calls, ~32% above typical volume) signals short‑term bullish positioning by traders and could support intraday upside if flows continue. (No external link provided)
• Positive Sentiment: Retail interest and momentum: Retail chatter and short‑term momentum have helped lift the stock recently (double‑digit weekly moves and large YTD gains cited by coverage), which can amplify volatility around news. Reddit Traders Are Cheering Moderna While Bears Watch the Cash Burn
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and narrative pieces: Several outlets are revisiting Moderna’s investment case (pipeline potential, oncology vaccine upside) and whether today’s price is a buying opportunity — useful context but not immediate catalysts. Moderna Stock (MRNA): Is It a Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Market bounce context: Coverage grouping Moderna with other volatile names notes technical bounces and differing Wall Street views — helpful for traders but mixed for longer‑term investors. These 3 Stocks Just Bounced From Lows — What Wall Street Thinks Comes Next
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory uncertainty: Reports highlighting recent FDA reversals and tougher scrutiny on new drug applications have increased investor concern that future approvals (e.g., respiratory or flu programs) could face delays or setbacks. That regulatory risk is pressuring the stock today. FDA reversals leave investors worrying about the fates of other experimental drugs
• Negative Sentiment: Cash/cost impact of the settlement: While the settlement removes legal overhang, it carries a material cash burden (Moderna may pay up to ~$2.25B and is fronting $950M), which renews concerns about cash burn and near‑term finances—an important negative for fundamental investors. Moderna to Pay Up to $2.25B to Settle Patent Suit Over Covid-19 Vaccine Technology

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.