Chart Of The Day: The Pandemic Isn't Over So Why Are Moderna Shares Tumbling?

 | May 25, 2022 14:36

Shares of COVID vaccine developer Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) are down almost 75% from their August 2021 all-time high when the stock was trading close to the $500 level. Objectively, that makes no sense since the pandemic isn't over just yet.

New cases are rising in the US for example, and in China, the case count keeps breaking new domestic records . Plus, Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Moderna forecasts about $20 billion in sales this year.

If the above fundamentals are so good, why might the stock be heading lower? Consider the fact that investors are generally forward-looking, then take into account the broader picture by not just looking at MRNA's decline following the spike.

Note the incredible rise the stock enjoyed prior to its plunge. Shares catapulted an incomprehensible 477% higher between their March 2020 bottom and the Aug. 10, 2021, all-time high.

That signals that investors weren't buying the stock for its immediate value at the time, but rather for its perceived future worth. In other words, they bought the rumor and sold the news.

Now, the market is pricing in Moderna's current value. Though we expect the stock to rebound eventually, we believe it still has further to fall first.