Moderna's Cancer Vaccine Breakthrough Could Revive Flagging Stock

Moderna's stock price has cooled off significantly after surging over five times its original value, but does this pullback signal that the company has little to no upside left? The mRNA leader's shares are currently trading at around $148 apiece, down from a high of $176.66 earlier in the year.

The company's recent phase 3 clinical trial results for its investigational personalized mRNA-based cancer vaccine, intismeran autogene, have been a major victory for Moderna. The vaccine showed significant improvements in recurrence-free survival compared to Merck's Keytruda monotherapy, setting it up for potential approval.

But what does this mean for investors? Some analysts estimate that intismeran autogene could generate $5.6 billion in peak revenue, with Moderna splitting the profits 50/50 with Merck. The company also has several other mRNA cancer vaccines in various stages of clinical development, and its pipeline is full of promising candidates across various therapeutic areas.

The bears may point out that the stock's price-to-sales ratio is 27.5 and it's not yet profitable, but despite these concerns, Moderna remains an attractive long-term bet for patient biotech investors.