RFK Jr. Ordered the HHS to Stop Funding mRNA Vaccine Development. The Edict Hit a Biotech Working on an Unrelated Treatment.
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Aug 06 2025
0mins
Should l Buy MRNA?
Source: Barron's
Federal Funding Cut: A biotech company lost federal funding after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the cessation of support for mRNA-based vaccine development.
Company's Clarification: The biotech firm clarified that it was not involved in the development of mRNA-based vaccines at all.
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Analyst Views on MRNA
Wall Street analysts forecast MRNA stock price to fall
20 Analyst Rating
1 Buy
16 Hold
3 Sell
Hold
Current: 54.350
Low
17.00
Averages
32.47
High
63.00
Current: 54.350
Low
17.00
Averages
32.47
High
63.00
About MRNA
Moderna, Inc. is a biotechnology company advancing a new class of medicines made of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). It is engaged in developing medicines across infectious disease vaccines, oncology therapeutics and rare disease therapeutics. Its platform incorporates advances across three components, mRNA, delivery, and the manufacturing process, to advance its medicines. Its products are Spikevax and mNEXSPIKE (its COVID vaccines), and mRESVIA (its vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)). It also has a diverse development pipeline that consists of 35 therapeutic and vaccine programs, six of which are in late-stage development. It has regulatory filings under review for its seasonal flu+COVID vaccine (mRNA-1083) in Europe and Canada and for its seasonal flu vaccine (mRNA-1010) in the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia. Its rare disease programs are Propionic acidemia (mRNA-3927); Methylmalonic acidemia (mRNA-3705), and Cystic Fibrosis (mRNA-3692/VX-522).
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- CDC Risk Assessment: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated that the risk of hantavirus transmission is extremely low, emphasizing that infection requires close contact with an infected person, which alleviates some market fears and reduces panic.
- Moderna's Development Update: Moderna announced it is working on a hantavirus treatment, currently in early stages, but its stock surged due to market confidence in its mRNA platform, demonstrating ongoing investor interest in vaccine development.
- Cautious Investor Sentiment: Despite the short-term rise in biotech stocks driven by the outbreak, analysts note that these market fluctuations are sentiment-driven and do not reflect fundamentals, urging investors to be cautious and avoid following the hype blindly.
See More
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- Vaccine Development Progress: Moderna confirmed it is pursuing early-stage research into mRNA vaccines for hantaviruses, which began prior to the identification of the cruise ship cluster, indicating the company's proactive approach to emerging viral threats.
- Clinical Trial Status: No hantavirus vaccine is currently approved globally, and Moderna's candidates have not yet entered human clinical trials, suggesting that market expectations for its vaccine will require time for validation.
- Market Reaction: Following the diagnosis of a hantavirus infection in an American citizen, Moderna's shares rose as much as 7% on Monday but closed down 3%, reflecting profit-taking by investors after a 20% increase the previous week.
- Investor Sentiment Shift: On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around MRNA jumped from 'bullish' to 'extremely bullish' over the past 24 hours, indicating strong market interest and anticipation for the company's future vaccine development efforts.
See More
US Stocks Rise Slightly, Led by Tech Gains
- Market Performance: The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 indices both reached all-time highs, rising 0.19% and 0.29% respectively, reflecting strong corporate earnings and optimism around artificial intelligence, although gains were limited by rising oil prices and bond yields.
- Middle East Impact: The failure of the US and Iran to reach a peace agreement led to an increase in global bond yields, with the 10-year T-note yield rising 5 basis points to 4.41%, raising concerns that sustained high energy prices could force central banks to tighten monetary policy.
- Chinese Trade Data: China's April exports rose 14.1% year-on-year, significantly exceeding expectations of 8.4%, while imports increased by 25.3%, indicating positive signals for global economic recovery that could benefit global markets.
- Earnings Reports: As of Monday, 83% of the 450 S&P 500 companies that reported earnings exceeded expectations, with Q1 earnings projected to grow 12% year-on-year, but only 3% when excluding the technology sector, highlighting disparities in profitability across industries.
See More
US Stocks Edge Up as Chipmakers Lead Market Rally
- Chip Stocks Rally: Chip leaders like Nvidia and Intel continue their upward momentum in an AI-driven market, supporting gains for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq despite ongoing concerns about global oil supply disruptions.
- Analyst Upgrades Boost Qualcomm: Qualcomm surged following an analyst upgrade, reflecting strong market expectations for AI memory demand, with analysts discussing a potential supercycle in the sector that enhances investor confidence.
- Biotech Stocks Surge: Moderna jumped in early trading as investors express optimism about its early hantavirus research, with the stock gaining over 15% in the past five days, highlighting market interest in biotech innovation.
- Oil Price Surge Affects Markets: Oil prices rose nearly 3% by midday, with WTI crude trading at $98 a barrel, amid heightened concerns over stalled U.S.-Iran negotiations, as analysts stress the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
See More
US Stocks Rise Slightly, Nasdaq Hits All-Time High
- Market Performance: The S&P 500 Index rose by 0.25% and the Nasdaq 100 Index increased by 0.17%, reaching all-time highs, reflecting strong corporate earnings and optimism around artificial intelligence, although rising oil prices and bond yields limited gains.
- Middle East Impact: The failure of the US and Iran to reach a peace agreement has led to rising global bond yields, with the 10-year T-note yield increasing by 3 basis points to 4.39%, raising concerns that elevated energy prices could force central banks to tighten monetary policy.
- Chinese Trade Data: China's April exports rose by 14.1% year-on-year and imports increased by 25.3%, both exceeding market expectations, indicating positive signals for global economic recovery that could benefit global markets.
- Earnings Reports: So far, 83% of the 446 S&P 500 companies that reported earnings have beaten estimates, with Q1 earnings projected to climb by 12% year-on-year, although excluding the technology sector, the growth is only 3%, marking the weakest performance in two years.
See More
Trade Desk Downgrade Leads to Stock Plunge
- Trade Desk Downgrade: The stock of Trade Desk fell nearly 7% after HSBC downgraded its rating from hold to reduce and slashed the price target from $31 to $20, indicating about a 13% downside, marking the company's fourth consecutive negative trading day.
- Corning Stock Surge: Corning's shares jumped 10% after Nvidia announced a $3.2 billion investment and a partnership to open three new manufacturing plants, leading to its inclusion in Bank of America's U.S. 1 List, reflecting strong market confidence in its growth prospects.
- Wendy's Rating Cut: JPMorgan downgraded Wendy's from neutral to underweight with a new price target of $6, implying an 18% downside, primarily due to a continued decline in U.S. same-store sales trends and uncertainty about the company's future, resulting in a 6% drop in stock price.
- Circle Internet Group Mixed Results: Circle's stock rose 15% after reporting earnings per share of 21 cents, beating expectations, although its revenue of $694 million fell short of the $722 million forecast, while successfully raising $222 million from various institutions, indicating market confidence in its stablecoin.
See More
Hantavirus Outbreak Sparks Volatility in Biotech Stocks
- Market Reaction: The hantavirus outbreak has triggered investor interest, leading biotech stocks like Moderna, Novavax, and Inovio to rise significantly over the past week, reflecting market sensitivity to vaccine development and speculative sentiment.
- CDC Risk Assessment: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated that the risk of hantavirus transmission is extremely low, emphasizing that infection requires close contact with an infected person, which alleviates some market fears and reduces panic.
- Moderna's Development Update: Moderna announced it is working on a hantavirus treatment, currently in early stages, but its stock surged due to market confidence in its mRNA platform, demonstrating ongoing investor interest in vaccine development.
- Cautious Investor Sentiment: Despite the short-term rise in biotech stocks driven by the outbreak, analysts note that these market fluctuations are sentiment-driven and do not reflect fundamentals, urging investors to be cautious and avoid following the hype blindly.
See More
