Moderna Reports Q4 Revenue of $678M, FDA to Review mRNA Flu Vaccine

Moderna reported quarterly revenues of $678 million, down 29.8% year on year but exceeding analysts' expectations by 2.7%. The company posted earnings per share of ($2.11) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($2.79) by $0.68.

The company had revenue of $678.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $611.14 million. Revenue for the quarter was down 33.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($2.91) earnings per share.

Moderna had a negative return on equity of 30.15% and a negative net margin of 145.16%. 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 FDA reversed course and will review Moderna's mRNA flu vaccine. This development represents a positive shift in the regulatory outlook for the company's vaccine pipeline.

Investment analysts increased their price target on Moderna from $36.00 to $41.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the stock. The price target points to a potential downside of 4.54% from the stock's current price.

Other recent analyst actions include an upgrade of shares of Moderna from a market perform rating to a buy rating on Monday, January 12th. Another firm upgraded Moderna from a sell rating to a hold rating on Saturday, January 17th. One firm initiated coverage on Moderna in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th, setting an equal weight rating and a $25.00 price objective for the company.

Two research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a sell rating to the stock. The company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $31.47.

Shares of Moderna opened at $49.70 on Friday and later traded at $42.95 on Tuesday. The stock is up 30.5% since reporting earnings results and currently trades at $52.34. The company has a 12-month low of $22.28 and a 12-month high of $55.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.84 and a beta of 1.32.

GSA Capital Partners LLP boosted its stake in Moderna by 216.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,922 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 26,617 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP's holdings in Moderna were worth $1,005,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Moderna during the second quarter valued at approximately $94,910,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Moderna by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,708,705 shares of the company's stock worth $1,150,743,000 after buying an additional 1,312,192 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.33% of the company's stock.

In insider transactions, a director sold 23,853 shares of the firm'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 in the company, valued at $115,679.52. This trade represents a 85.87% decrease in their position. Company insiders own 10.90% of the company's stock.

On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Moderna will post -9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.