Moderna stock rises after the company reported third-quarter results and lifted its 2026 revenue guidance. Shares gained 5.3% on Friday, November 6, 2026, while the S&P 500 added 0.3%.
Quarterly Results Beat Expectations
Moderna recorded $1.3 billion in third-quarter revenue, well above the $890.3 million analysts had forecast. Management linked the 29% year-over-year increase primarily to stronger COVID sales.
The company also posted a reported profit of $0.38 per share. Analysts had expected an adjusted loss of $1.10 per share, though the two figures rely on different accounting measures and are not directly comparable. A year earlier, Moderna lost $0.51 per share.
Outlook Raised on Strong Vaccination Season
Management now expects 2026 revenue to grow 15% to 25%, an increase from earlier guidance that pointed to growth of up to 10%. The company cited the strong start to the vaccination season and what it has already observed in the fourth quarter.
International sales reached $900 million so far in 2026, already $200 million above the full-year 2025 total. Moderna also reduced its 2026 research and development budget by $200 million to $2.7 billion, as more studies wind down.
Separately, on the same day, Moderna and GSK settled a patent dispute concerning Moderna’s COVID and RSV shots.
Health Care Peers Mostly Lagged
The broader health care sector did not join the rally. The XLV health care sector fund slipped 0.1% during the session. Among five peers, Pfizer, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Sarepta Therapeutics moved less than 2% in either direction. Aspen Neuroscience and aTyr Pharma rose about as much as Moderna, gaining 5.8% and 5.3%, respectively.
Volatile Path Over the Past Year
A 5% move is not unusual for Moderna. The stock posted gains of at least that size in 36 sessions over the prior 365 days. In the immediate run-up to Friday, shares rose 13.1% on November 4 before falling 6.5% on November 5.
Over the past twelve months, Moderna returned 978.9%, compared with 9.8% for the S&P 500. Shares closed at $254.19, just below the 52-week closing high of $258.38 set on November 4. The lowest close of the past 52 weeks was $22.36 on November 20, 2025.
Much of the climb occurred in the past three months, a period that delivered a 325.0% return. That stretch included the year’s largest one-day move: a 177% jump on August 19, 2026, followed by a 24% decline the next day. The surge followed positive Phase 3 trial results for the cancer vaccine Moderna is developing with Merck.
Investors will next watch full-year 2026 revenue growth against the raised outlook when Moderna reports fourth-quarter results, expected in February 2027.
