Moderna Breaks Out 12.68% For The First Time In A Year

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Moderna (MRNA) stock broke out for the first time in a year after beating Wall Street's first-quarter expectations as its second potential approval looms. The company hopes to win Food and Drug Administration approval for its RSV vaccine, which causes cold-like symptoms in most people but can be serious or deadly in babies and older adults. The FDA is due to make its decision on Moderna's shot in less than two weeks. Moderna (MRNA) hopes to launch its vaccine for older adults this fall. If approved, this would be Moderna's second commercial product behind its Covid vaccine.

Moderna's Covid vaccine sales plummeted nearly 91% to $167 million during the first quarter, but handily beat analysts' forecast for $93 million. The European Union plans to buy up to 36 million doses of its Covid vaccine each year for at least four years. The company expects "higher vaccination uptake" in the U.S. if its updated Covid vaccine is available in time with the seasonal flu shot.

From a financial standpoint, Moderna (MRNA) is retaining its outlook for the year. The company expects to notch $4 billion in sales of its respiratory vaccines. That will be weighted to the back half of the year with less than $300 million in sales projected for the first half of 2024. Moderna (MRNA) stock analysts project $4.19 billion in full-year revenue, including $4.06 billion in sales from the company's products.

The RSV vaccine could be a big moneymaker for Moderna (MRNA). Pfizer and GSK launched their RSV shots for older adults last year, with Abrysvo and Arexvy generating $145 million and $228 million in sales respectively. Moderna stock analysts already expect some sales of Moderna's product — $10 million in the June quarter, according to FactSet.

Moderna is (MRNA) also planning to work with U.S. regulators on the timing of its next Covid vaccine. Officials will choose the next variant to target in booster shots on May 16, then it will be off to the races, so to speak, to run testing for Moderna's updated shot. Moderna's goal is to launch the Covid booster shot in timing with the fall flu vaccine campaign.