Traders Buy High Volume of Moderna Call Options (NASDAQ:MRNA)

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) saw some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Investors purchased 112,509 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 32% compared to the typical volume of 85,335 call options.

Moderna Stock Down 3.4%

NASDAQ:MRNA traded down $1.83 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $52.00. 7,602,401 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,591,249. The company has a fifty day moving average of $42.70 and a 200 day moving average of $32.06. The company has a market capitalization of $20.54 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.15 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 3.22 and a current ratio of 3.29. Moderna has a twelve month low of $22.28 and a twelve month high of $59.55.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $678.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $611.14 million. Moderna had a negative return on equity of 30.15% and a negative net margin of 145.16%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 33.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($2.91) EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Moderna will post -9.61 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MRNA. Evercore set a $35.00 price target on Moderna in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Moderna from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Moderna in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Moderna from $36.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on Moderna in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $25.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $32.33.

Moderna News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Moderna this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Settlement clears a multi‑year patent fight, removing a major legal overhang that had weighed on valuation — the market has reacted positively even though the company must pay to resolve claims. Moderna rises on $2.25 billion settlement, clearing COVID vaccine patent dispute overhang
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage confirms Moderna will pay up to $2.25B (reports vary on final amounts), which reduces litigation uncertainty that had capped upside — investors view clarity as a catalyst despite the cash cost. Moderna to pay up to $2.25B to end mRNA vaccine patent fight
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/coverage optimism: a buy initiation highlights multiyear growth drivers (mNEXSPIKE approvals, flu/combination vaccines, oncology programs) and presents a constructive view on narrowing losses and 2026 guidance. The Sun Will Shine On Moderna Again – Initiating With A Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail and momentum: Reddit-driven buying and recent volatility have lifted shares YTD, creating short‑term catalyst-driven spikes but also raising the risk of sharp pullbacks. Reddit Traders Are Cheering Moderna While Bears Watch The Cash Burn
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer-term debate: pieces weighing whether Moderna is still a “COVID company” vs. an oncology/mRNA platform argue the stock will hinge on upcoming Phase 3 clinical readouts — big upside if oncology data holds, big downside if it disappoints. Moderna Stock (MRNA): Is It a Buy Now? 7 Questions After the Crash
• Neutral Sentiment: Market take on volatility: general coverage grouping Moderna with other volatile names notes a bounce from lows but emphasizes differing fundamentals and drivers — useful context but not an immediate catalyst. These 3 Stocks Just Bounced From Lows — What Wall Street Thinks Comes Next
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory uncertainty: a CNBC piece highlights recent FDA reversals and denials across drug applications — it cites an instance where the FDA initially refused to review Moderna’s flu shot before reversing course, underscoring the regulatory risk that can weigh on near‑term valuation. FDA reversals leave investors worrying about the fates of other experimental drugs

Insider Activity at Moderna

In other news, Director Noubar Afeyan sold 23,853 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.48, for a total transaction of $703,186.44. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $115,679.52. This represents a 85.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, President Stephen Hoge sold 160,009 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $71,180,734.68. The trade was a 9.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 184,366 shares of company stock valued at $8,531,936 over the last three months. 10.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moderna

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moderna in the first quarter valued at about $415,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Moderna by 732.7% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 11,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $328,000 after buying an additional 10,185 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association bought a new position in Moderna during the 1st quarter worth $230,000. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of Moderna by 58.7% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 23,547 shares of the company’s stock valued at $668,000 after purchasing an additional 8,706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in shares of Moderna by 137.7% during the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,298 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 752 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.33% of the company’s stock.

Moderna Company Profile

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.