Movement Alert|Moderna, Inc. Falls 12.27% in Regular Trading, Profit-Taking and Bearish Options Positioning Follow 177% Surge

Market Focus
Aug 20

On August 20, Moderna, Inc. fell 12.27% in regular trading to $147.94/share, with turnover of $1.811 billion, as the stock pulled back sharply from the prior session's historic 177% rally driven by the Phase III cancer vaccine trial success.

The decline follows aggressive bearish options activity, including a $1.67 million long-dated put purchase and a bear call spread collecting $525,000 in premium, signaling institutional positioning for further downside. Multiple analyst upgrades issued post-surge set targets well below the prior close — Goldman Sachs raised its target to only $120 (maintaining Neutral), while the FactSet consensus average remains at $56.58, suggesting significant valuation skepticism persists despite the clinical milestone.

Additionally, short sellers who suffered approximately $4.8 billion in mark-to-market losses during the prior session's squeeze may be re-establishing positions, while early investors who rode the year-to-date 113% rally into the trial readout are locking in gains. The after-hours session had already shown a 5% retreat, foreshadowing continued selling pressure into the next regular session.

(The above content is based on publicly available market information, generated by a program or algorithm, and is intended solely as a stock movement alert. It does not constitute investment advice or a basis for trading decisions.)

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