Moderna shares rise after earnings beat as FDA flu vaccine setback weighs on outlook
Moderna shares rose after the company reported quarterly results that beat earnings and revenue estimates. The stock move came as investors also weighed an FDA refusal-to-file for its mRNA flu vaccine and ongoing funding concerns.
Moderna shares rose 7.2% during mid-day trading after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $44.57 and last traded at $43.0150, with 3,985,118 shares changing hands, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 12,994,413 shares.
The company reported ($2.11) earnings per share for the quarter, beating consensus estimates of ($2.79) by $0.68. Revenue was $678.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $611.14 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($2.91) earnings per share, and revenue was down 33.2% on a year-over-year basis.
The company had a negative return on equity of 29.81% and a negative net margin of 139.61%. The stock has a market cap of $16.50 billion, a PE ratio of -5.23 and a beta of 1.32. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $37.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.87.
A major regulatory setback also remains in focus. The U.S. FDA issued a refusal-to-file for Moderna’s new mRNA flu vaccine application, citing trial issues, and Moderna has requested a Type A meeting.
Recent trading also showed insider selling. In the past 6 months, insiders traded 4 times on the open market, with 0 purchases and 4 sales. The reported sales included the President selling 160,009 shares for an estimated $7,814,839, the Chief Legal Officer selling 13,885 shares for an estimated $726,046, a director selling 23,853 shares for an estimated $703,305, and another executive selling 504 shares for an estimated $13,910.
Institutional positioning was mixed in the most recent quarter, with 286 institutional investors adding shares and 318 decreasing their positions. Among the largest moves in Q4 2025, FMR LLC added 15,741,014 shares for an estimated $464,202,502, Capital World Investors added 12,828,040 shares for an estimated $378,298,899, and UBS Asset Management Americas removed 6,254,709 shares for an estimated $184,451,368. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Wall Street analysts issued 11 price targets in the last 6 months, with a median target of $30.0. The company is also advancing certain influenza programs despite reduced U.S. government support, with attention on near-term cash burn and upcoming earnings.