Moderna shares hit a two-year high after a 13% surge. It's all about a new treatment

Shares of pharmaceutical company Moderna reached their highest level since September 2024, jumping nearly 13% in a single day. The market reacted to news of the launch of Moderna’s first program focused on in vivo CAR-T therapy—a treatment designed to modify immune T-cells directly within the patient’s body, according to Barron’s. This research could help in the fight against certain chronic autoimmune diseases.

Moderna announced at its investor day on Thursday that it plans to begin clinical development of mRNA-6007—a candidate for in vivo CAR-T therapy—in 2027. Moderna will initially focus on autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, in which the immune system attacks healthy tissues and organs.

In vivo CAR-T therapy genetically modifies T lymphocytes—cells of the immune system that help recognize and destroy the patient’s infected or dangerous cells—to fight the disease directly within the body. This approach is significantly more effective and less expensive than ex vivo therapy, in which the patient’s cells must first be extracted, modified in a laboratory, and then reintroduced into the body, explains Barron’s.

Moderna's stock jumped 12.6% during Friday's trading session to $67.27, its highest level since September 2024. The stock has risen 128% since the beginning of the year.

On Thursday, the biotechnology company presented its development portfolio to investors, divided into three distinct “horizons.” The main one covers the most mature assets, including drugs in late-stage development and products that have already been commercialized.

Jefferies analyst Andrew Tsai predicts that over the next two years, Moderna will be able to bring more than seven products to market targeting respiratory diseases, oncology, and rare diseases, according to Barron’s. This would represent a sharp increase from its current portfolio of three vaccines—and a stark contrast to 2020, when the company launched its first commercial product, the Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine. Cai is optimistic about the early-stage oncology programs and technological approaches presented at the investor day, noting that they “could significantly diversify the mRNA development portfolio,” Barron’s quotes the analyst’s note as saying.

Among the company’s key assets highlighted by Cai are an in vivo CAR-T candidate and T-cell activators targeting multiple myeloma and ovarian cancer. In his view, an even more important short-term driver for the pharmaceutical giant’s stock will be data from a Phase 3 melanoma trial, which is expected in the second half of 2026. He called this a “major event” for the stock. Cai maintained his “hold” rating on Moderna shares but raised his price target from $45 to $53. This is 21% below the closing price on Friday, June 26.

Piper Sandler analyst Edward Tenthoff raised his price target for Moderna shares from $69 to $77 following the company’s investor day, while maintaining his “outperform” rating, according to Barron’s. This target is 14% above the closing price on June 26.

According to MarketWatch, 18 of the 27 analysts covering the vaccine developer’s stock recommend holding it (a “Hold” rating), four recommend buying, and five recommend selling. The Wall Street consensus price is $48.25—a quarter lower than Friday’s closing price.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor