Moderna (MRNA) stock jumped more than 6% on Wednesday after the US Food and Drug Administration agreed to review the drugmaker's first flu shot of the season, reversing course on a decision to reject the review last week. Moderna recently developed a new flu vaccine using the same mRNA technique that underpins its COVID-19 vaccine. But after requesting review from the federal government, the FDA initially declined to review the drug — a necessary regulatory step toward bringing the drug to market — saying ...

Core Insights - Moderna, Inc. is a biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a market cap of $17.2 billion, known for its messenger RNA medicines and COVID-19 vaccine, and is expanding its pipeline in various therapeutic areas [1] Performance Summary - Over the past 52 weeks, Moderna's shares have increased by 19.3%, outperforming the S&P 500 Index, which rose by 15.5%. Year-to-date, the stock is up 47.9%, while the S&P 500 has only gained 1.9% [2] - Despite this, Moderna has underperformed compared to the iShares Biotechnology ETF, which saw a 26.2% increase over the same period, although it has outperformed the ETF's 3.1% year-to-date return [3] Recent Developments - On January 21, shares surged by 15.8% following positive results from a five-year follow-up study of an experimental skin cancer vaccine in collaboration with Merck, showing a 49% reduction in recurrence or death risk for high-risk melanoma patients [5] Financial Outlook - Analysts project that Moderna's loss per share for the current fiscal year will narrow by 10.9% year-over-year to $7.90. The company has consistently exceeded consensus earnings estimates in the last four quarters [6] - The consensus rating among 24 analysts is a "Hold," with two "Strong Buy," 19 "Hold," one "Moderate Sell," and two "Strong Sell" ratings [6] Analyst Ratings and Price Targets - Edward Tenthoff from Piper Sandler Companies maintains a "Buy" rating with a price target of $63, indicating a potential upside of 44.3%. The current trading price is above the mean price target of $37.40, while the highest price target of $135 suggests a 209.1% premium [8]