Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) Shares Down 9.5% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) fell 9.5% during mid-day trading on Friday. The company traded as low as $219.61 and last traded at $214.1360. 2,486,744 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 12,238,993 shares. The stock had previously closed at $236.50.

Trending Headlines about Moderna

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor enthusiasm remains high ahead of Moderna’s cancer-vaccine data, particularly its personalized melanoma vaccine program. The company’s partnership with Merck also received a boost after Merck’s CEO said manufacturing could become faster and more efficient over time. Why Did MRNA, KO, V Stocks Climb To 52-Week Highs Today? Merck CEO Discusses Cancer Vaccine Manufacturing
• Positive Sentiment: Moderna has become one of the market’s strongest-performing biotech stocks this year, supported by pipeline optimism, healthcare-sector fund flows and improving investor interest beyond artificial intelligence stocks. Moderna Rallies as Money Rotates Into Healthcare
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its Moderna price target from $120 to $137 but retained a Neutral rating. The increase recognizes the company’s momentum, while the rating indicates that the analyst sees limited support at the current valuation. Goldman Raises Moderna Target Ahead of Melanoma Data
• Negative Sentiment: Profit-taking is pressuring MRNA after its outsized run; Moderna advanced much further than comparable biotech names, making it particularly vulnerable to selling before the data readout. Moderna Tumbles as Profit Taking Hits Cancer Vaccine Rally
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and fundamental risks remain significant. Analysts highlight Moderna’s persistent losses and negative free cash flow, while several published price targets remain well below the stock’s current trading level. Upcoming third-quarter results on November 6 and Analyst Day on November 12 could increase event-driven volatility. Moderna Valuation and Outlook

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRNA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Moderna from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 9th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Moderna from $77.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Moderna in a report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $135.00 price objective on Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Moderna currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $101.45.

Moderna Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $85.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -26.67 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $153.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $89.98.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported ($1.97) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($2.03) by $0.06. The business had revenue of $145.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $102.93 million. Moderna had a negative net margin of 141.43% and a negative return on equity of 28.30%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($2.13) earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Moderna, Inc. will post -6.11 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Moderna news, President Stephen Hoge sold 40,281 shares of Moderna stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.07, for a total transaction of $5,883,845.67. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 1,562,029 shares in the company, valued at approximately $228,165,576.03. The trade was a 2.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO James M. Mock sold 34,836 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total transaction of $4,685,093.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,985,343.75. The trade was a 36.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 118,882 shares of company stock valued at $16,862,280 over the last ninety days. 10.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moderna

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MRNA. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Moderna by 53.1% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Moderna in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Archer Investment Corp purchased a new position in shares of Moderna in the second quarter worth about $36,000. Canton Hathaway LLC acquired a new position in shares of Moderna during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Moderna during the second quarter worth $45,000. 75.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Moderna Company Profile

Moderna, Inc is a biotechnology company that develops medicines and vaccines using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. Its platform is designed to instruct cells to produce proteins that can help prevent or treat disease, supporting the company’s work across infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, autoimmune conditions, and cardiovascular diseases.

Moderna’s commercial products include Spikevax, an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, and mRESVIA, an mRNA vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in older adults.