Noubar Afeyan Sells 9,263 Shares of Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Stock

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) Director Noubar Afeyan sold 9,263 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.84, for a total value of $433,878.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $183,800.16. This trade represents a 70.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Moderna Stock Performance

Shares of Moderna stock opened at $46.88 on Friday. Moderna, Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.28 and a 52 week high of $59.55. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $50.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $41.59. The firm has a market cap of $18.60 billion, a PE ratio of -5.75 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 2.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported ($3.40) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($3.02) by ($0.38). Moderna had a negative net margin of 143.55% and a negative return on equity of 26.64%. The business had revenue of $389.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $236.37 million. During the same period last year, the company earned ($2.52) EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 260.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on MRNA. Leerink Partners reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group increased their target price on Moderna from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Moderna from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Monday, February 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Moderna has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $35.73.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moderna

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Moderna by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,584,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,226,335,000 after buying an additional 399,487 shares during the period. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in shares of Moderna in the 4th quarter valued at about $378,299,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Moderna by 15.7% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 8,216,163 shares of the company’s stock valued at $212,223,000 after buying an additional 1,115,131 shares during the period. Theleme Partners LLP raised its holdings in shares of Moderna by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Theleme Partners LLP now owns 8,068,810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $208,417,000 after purchasing an additional 200,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Moderna by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,621,558 shares of the company’s stock worth $136,290,000 after purchasing an additional 309,126 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.33% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moderna named James Mock as its new chief financial officer, a move that should help stabilize leadership in a key finance role. James Mock Joins Moderna as Chief Financial Officer
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna and Merck reported five-year data showing their melanoma combination therapy reduced the risk of cancer spreading by 59%, supporting the company’s oncology pipeline. Moderna, Merck cancer combo cuts melanoma spread risk at five years
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with a reported average rating of “Reduce,” suggesting the market still has reservations about near-term execution. Moderna, Inc. Receives Average Rating of “Reduce” from Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: The FDA’s rare advisory panel review of Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine introduces regulatory uncertainty for a program investors had been watching closely. USFDA to Convene Expert Panel Review for Moderna’s mRNA Flu Vaccine
• Negative Sentiment: Related reports said Moderna is facing FDA scrutiny on its flu shot, and the added regulatory review has been a drag on the stock. FDA plans rare advisory hearing to debate Moderna’s flu shot

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.