About Moderna Inc
Moderna Inc is an American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company. It was co-founded as “Moderna Therapeutics” in 2010 by Derrick Rossi, Robert S. Langer, Kenneth Chein, Noubar Afeyan, and Timothy Springer. Later, in 2018 the company re-branded as Moderna Inc. to expand its portfolio of vaccine development. Its name “Moderna” is derived from the combination of the terms “modified” and RNA, a polymeric molecule essential for biological coding, decoding, regulation, and expression of genes. The company focuses on developing vaccine technologies based on a single-stranded molecule of RNA, which is messenger RNA. They carry their manufacturing, clinical and preclinical work from a company in Norwood, Massachusetts, which is also where its headquarters are located. The company earns a majority of its revenue from Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority while the remaining is generated from various other agencies of the federal government of the United States. Here, let’s know Who Owns Moderna?
Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine
The vaccine against COVID-19 is the company’s only commercial product. Unlike most other vaccines available today, the Moderna vaccine against COVID-19 does not inject a weakened or inactivated germ into our bodies. Instead, it focuses on instructing our immune systems to be able to produce a protein that creates an immune response in the event of the virus entering the body. This vaccine is called mRNA-1273. The mRNA-1273 has received an interim recommendation to be used against the virus from The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE). The vaccine has been found to have an effectiveness rate of 94.1%. This data was collected through clinical trials on people aged 18 years or older. To receive a full course of the Moderna vaccination series, an individual needs to get two doses, given one month apart. The terms and conditions regarding receiving these doses must be read carefully before taking the vaccine.
Who Owns Moderna?
Founders of Moderna
The foundation of Moderna Therapeutics was laid to expand the research of Derrick Rossi, a stem cell biologist. After Derrick studied previous works on RNA (Ribonucleic acid) mediated immune activation, he and Drew Weissman, an American immunologist discovered a synthetic messenger RNA to overpower the immunity of RNA. The same technology is now used by Moderna for developing vaccines. Derrick’s co-founders include his fellow Harvard University faculty member, Timothy Springer who put together the investors to carry out further research and help with its commercialization. These investors and co-founders were Kenneth R. Chien, Robert Langer, and Noubar Afeyan. Robert Langer and Noubar Afeyan are still associated with Moderna as the company’s Director and Chairman, respectively.
Shareholders of Moderna
Shareholders own the company in the capacity of their sharers. They are the stockholders as they put their money and trust in the success of the business. They enjoy certain rights as they own the company concerning the proportion of shares held by them. As owners, they enjoy a say through their right to vote in decisions relating to mergers, dividend distribution, and approving the board of directors. The top three individual shareholders of Moderna Inc are:
- Robert S. Langer
An Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is one of the world’s most highly cited researchers in history. He has founded almost 40 biotechnology companies other than Moderna. His estimated net worth is approximately worth $1.4 Billion. He owns 2.9% of Moderna Inc.’s total outstanding shares, whose cost is estimated to be over a billion dollars. Being one of the first investors in the company, Robert also serves as its director. Langer’s list of awards is a long one with him being awarded more than 220 major awards. He is also a recipient of the Charles Stark Draper Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in the field of engineering. One of his latest achievements includes Portugal’s Highest Distinction for scientists, which is “Medalha da Ciencia”.
- Stephane Bancel
The French billionaire is currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Moderna Inc and a member of its board of directors as well. He is also the former CEO of BioMerieux, a French diagnostics company. It is clear with Bancel’s statements that he certainly trusts in Moderna’s science and believes that it will change the world. He is known for owning approximately 9% of Moderna Inc’s shares. With this ownership and being in the center circle at Moderna, Bancel’s net worth is estimated to be over $9 billion.
- Noubar B. Afeyan
Noubar is another important name among the owners of Moderna. He was one of the first investors for Moderna through his Venture Studio Flagship Ventures. Now he chairs the board of Moderna Inc. With a net worth of over four billion dollars, Noubar owns close to 1% of the total shares of Moderna. Other than his shares in Moderna, Noubar owns equity in several other biotech companies of America. He has founded and co-founded 50 other companies relating to healthcare and life sciences.
Apart from these individual investors, there are institutional investors. Most often these institutes have larger funds than an individual and can buy a higher stake in a company. Such institutional investors hold greater influence in the market and on the companies they choose to invest in, as compared to individual shareholders. They improve price discovery and promote management accountability. These investments are made under the guidance of the institution’s leadership and the trust of its owners. The three largest Institutional Shareholders of Moderna are as follows:
- Baillie Gifford & Co.
This investment management firm is based in Scotland. According to this company’s 13 G filing for the period ending in February 2021, 11.2% of the total outstanding shares of Moderna Inc. are held by them. At the end of this period, the company has increased its holding stake in Moderna by approximately 86.48%. The estimated value of their shares is over $44.7 million. The top five companies whose shares are held in large numbers by Baillie & Gifford Co. include Tesla Inc, Amazon.com Inc, MercadoLibre Inc, Illumina Inc, and Shopify Inc. Moderna is among its top ten holdings and comprises almost 6% of its portfolio.
- Flagship Pioneering Inc.
This venture capital company that invests in biotechnology, life sciences, and sustainability companies was founded in 1999 by Noubar Afeyan, a name we are familiar with. The company was called NewcoGen at the time of its establishment, 1999. Since 2016, the Massachusetts-based company is called Flagship Pioneering. They fund and foster early-stage companies through the support of networks and resources. Flagship has been a shareholder and co-owner of Moderna ever since its establishment. It owns roughly 8% of Moderna’s outstanding shares that constitutes over 30 million shares. Moderna is one of the largest holdings of Flagship Pioneering Inc. Other major holdings in its portfolio include Indigo Agriculture, Sana Biotechnology, Inari Agriculture, and Novomer.
- BlackRock Inc.
BlackRock Inc. is the world’s largest asset manager as of June 2021. this multinational investment corporation was founded in 1988 by Rob Kapito and Lary Fink. It operates in over 30 countries while managing its operations from its headquarters in New York City, United States. Their holdings in Moderna Inc. have witnessed a decrease of 5.30% since February 2021. BlackRock currently holds 4.8% ownership of Moderna through their possession of over 19 million shares of Moderna Inc. BlackRock Inc. is a major shareholder in other companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Wells Fargo & Co., and JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Other major institutional investors of Moderna Inc. include Vanguard Group Inc, Theleme Partners LLP, and State Street Corp. From the total ownership of Moderna,43% to 51% is held by institutional investors. The market capital of Moderna is estimated to be $59.4 billion.
FAQs
- When did Moderna Inc. go public? What was the price?
Moderna began trading in December 2018, on NASDAQ Global Select Market. The price of one share at the time was decided to be $23. The current share price stands over $400.
- Can an individual have access to the direct stock purchase plan of Moderna?
There is no direct stock purchase plan for Moderna. However, one can choose a stockbroker of their choice to buy Moderna shares.
- Who is the auditor for Moderna Inc.?
Ernst & Young, LLP Boston is the auditor for Moderna.
- Who can receive the Covid-19 Vaccine Program of Moderna Inc.? How safe is it?
Moderna Inc Covid-19 Vaccine is recommended for people 18 years of age or above. This vaccine has been approved for its safety and efficiency by the Strategic Advisory Group Of Experts On Immunization, which is the advisory group for WHO.
- Where are the headquarters of Moderna Inc. located?
The headquarters of Moderna is located at 200 Technology Square Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Conclusion
Currently there here are several projects in Moderna’s pipeline. The company is expanding through its innovative vaccines and therapeutics. After its recent experience with developing vaccines against COVID-19, the company is focused to expand its portfolio of infectious disease vaccines. According to their CEO Stephane Bancel, the effectiveness of their mRNA-based vaccine to prevent COVID-19 has encouraged the company to further develop within their preventative vaccines modality. Moderna has also announced several new capital investments to increase the global capacity of its COVID-19 vaccines to roughly $1.4 billion doses. By 2025 several other vaccines that are in development stages will be ready for commercial use and Moderna Inc is expected to see an influx of revenues. The share prices are also likely to act bullish. The company is expected to have a bright future and create the change that it intends to.
