Investors Purchase Large Volume of Moderna Put Options (NASDAQ:MRNA)

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Traders acquired 221,493 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 169% compared to the typical daily volume of 82,442 put options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRNA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Moderna in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Moderna from $125.00 to $111.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Argus cut shares of Moderna from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Leerink Partners reduced their target price on shares of Moderna from $31.00 to $27.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Moderna from $70.00 to $38.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Moderna currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $75.58.

Moderna Trading Down 2.9 %

Shares of Moderna stock traded down $1.01 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $33.76. 7,323,516 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,449,448. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $41.11 and a 200-day moving average of $67.32. Moderna has a 12 month low of $31.94 and a 12 month high of $170.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 4.20 and a current ratio of 4.39. The company has a market cap of $12.99 billion, a PE ratio of -5.80 and a beta of 1.60.

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.89) by $1.92. Moderna had a negative net margin of 43.77% and a negative return on equity of 17.68%. The business had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.25 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted ($1.39) earnings per share. Moderna's quarterly revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Moderna will post -9.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Shannon Thyme Klinger sold 1,418 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.79, for a total value of $60,676.22. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 19,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at $843,690.43. This represents a 6.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,664 shares of company stock worth $115,210. 15.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moderna

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Moderna in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Moderna by 58.2% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,057 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 389 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Moderna by 365.6% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 731 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 574 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Moderna by 53.5% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 910 shares of the company's stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in Moderna by 477.3% during the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 941 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 778 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.33% of the company's stock.

Moderna Company Profile

Moderna, Inc, a biotechnology company, discovers, develops, and commercializes messenger RNA therapeutics and vaccines for the treatment of infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, autoimmune, and cardiovascular diseases in the United States, Europe, and internationally. Its respiratory vaccines include COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus, spikevax, and hMPV/PIV3 vaccines; latent vaccines comprise cytomegalovirus, epstein-barr virus, herpes simplex virus, varicella zoster virus, and human immunodeficiency virus vaccines; public health vaccines consists of Zika, Nipah, Mpox vaccines; and infectious diseases vaccines, such as lyme and norovirus vaccines.

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