Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Shares Gap Up on Analyst Upgrade

Posted by Don Miller on Feb 18th, 2026

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA – Get Free Report)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday after The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on the stock from $36.00 to $41.00. The stock had previously closed at $43.93, but opened at $46.69. The Goldman Sachs Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Moderna shares last traded at $46.5050, with a volume of 6,606,457 shares.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Monday, October 20th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore set a $35.00 price target on Moderna in a research note on Tuesday. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $17.00 price objective on shares of Moderna in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $28.00 price objective on Moderna in a report on Monday, November 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $31.47.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on MRNA

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Noubar Afeyan sold 23,853 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction 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. The trade was a 85.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 10.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

Positive Sentiment: FDA reverses course and will review Moderna’s seasonal flu shot (mRNA‑1010); if approved it could be available for the 2026‑27 flu season. The FDA reversed course and agreed to begin a review of Moderna’s seasonal flu shot
Positive Sentiment: FDA accepted Moderna’s revised biologics license application after a Type A meeting and set a PDUFA goal date of Aug. 5, 2026; Moderna proposed a regulatory pathway split by age (full approval 50–64, accelerated approval 65+ with post‑marketing study). This gives investors a clear regulatory timetable. Moderna Announces the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will Initiate the Review of Its Investigational Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Submission
Positive Sentiment: Mid‑stage trial: Moderna’s two‑in‑one mRNA vaccine targeting flu and COVID produced robust, durable immune responses with no safety concerns in the reported trial — supports the company’s strategy for combination respiratory vaccines. Health Rounds: Moderna combo flu/COVID vaccine succeeds in mid-stage trial
Positive Sentiment: European Commission granted marketing authorization for Moderna’s mNEXSPIKE (mRNA‑1283) for ages 12+, expanding the company’s commercial footprint in Europe for COVID vaccines. Moderna Receives European Commission Marketing Authorization for COVID-19 Vaccine mNEXSPIKE
Neutral Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target from $36 to $41 but kept a “neutral” rating — a modest signal of valuation upside but not a bullish analyst endorsement. Benzinga
Negative Sentiment: Recent headlines around the FDA’s prior refusal and critical commentary (editorials, expert concern) had created regulatory uncertainty and reputational noise; while the review initiation is positive, the earlier RTF shows potential friction with regulators. U.S. rejection of new mRNA flu vaccine ‘sends chills,’ epidemiologist says

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moderna

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital World Investors bought a new stake in Moderna during the 4th quarter worth approximately $378,299,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Moderna in the second quarter worth approximately $94,910,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Moderna in the fourth quarter worth $95,209,000. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its stake in shares of Moderna by 364.5% in the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,869,271 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,163,000 after purchasing an additional 2,251,497 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position 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 valued at $244,458,000 after purchasing an additional 1,420,690 shares during the period. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Moderna Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $18.17 billion, a PE ratio of -6.40 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 3.29, a quick ratio of 3.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The business’s 50 day moving average is $37.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.04.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The company reported ($2.11) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $678.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $611.14 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($2.91) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 33.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Moderna, Inc. will post -9.61 EPS for the current year.

About Moderna

(Get Free Report)

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.