markets

William Coulman & David Crowther

9/12/24

Moderna is cutting its R&D spend, but it needs products to return to growth

Moderna, one of the most visible pharmaceutical brands of the pandemic, is struggling to adapt to a post-COVID world.

Shares in the company were trading down as much as 18% earlier today after announcing plans to slash $1.1 billion in annual R&D expenses while delaying its breakeven target to 2028 (from 2026), capping a brutal return to Earth for the once high-flying company.

Moderna had a meteoric rise, with its mRNA technology one of a number of vaccines that helped ease lockdowns worldwide. That technology made the company a fortune: in just over a year, quarterly revenue skyrocketed from a modest $150 million to more than $7 billion.

Moderna revenues are falling

But, as the rest of the world moves on, the Massachusetts-based company has struggled, spending billions on R&D in search of its next product breakthrough, with revenue slumping sharply since 2021. And pulling back on investing in future projects, even if it technically saves the company money in the short-term, is not a growth story that investors want to hear.

The company now says it expects 10 new product approvals by 2027, but for now it’s leaning heavily on two offerings: its COVID-19 vaccine and a recently approved RSV shot.

Moderna shares plunge on plans to cut R&D, launch 10 new products by 2027

Moderna shares plunge on plans to cut $1.1 billion in costs, launch 10 new products by 2027

Moderna had a meteoric rise, with its mRNA technology one of a number of vaccines that helped ease lockdowns worldwide. That technology made the company a fortune: in just over a year, quarterly revenue skyrocketed from a modest $150 million to more than $7 billion.

Moderna revenues are falling

But, as the rest of the world moves on, the Massachusetts-based company has struggled, spending billions on R&D in search of its next product breakthrough, with revenue slumping sharply since 2021. And pulling back on investing in future projects, even if it technically saves the company money in the short-term, is not a growth story that investors want to hear.

The company now says it expects 10 new product approvals by 2027, but for now it’s leaning heavily on two offerings: its COVID-19 vaccine and a recently approved RSV shot.

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Tempus AI jumps on FDA clearance of AI-enabled tool to analyze cardiac MRIs

Tempus AI, a midcap medical diagnostics company that’s highlighted a push to incorporate AI technology into its products, surged on Thursday after announcing the FDA had issued a “510(k) clearance” of a new AI-enabled tool to analyze cardiac imagery from MRIs.

A 510(k) clearance — used for devices that are considered relatively low risk — essentially allows a product to be sold in the US.

While the company has never turned a profit, even on an adjusted basis, its sales are growing rapidly and the stock has had a great year, rising more than 160% in 2025.

For more on the company, check out our interview with its CEO, Eric Lefkofsky.

Tempus Receives U.S. FDA Special 510(k) Clearance for Updated Tempus Pixel Device

While the company has never turned a profit, even on an adjusted basis, its sales are growing rapidly and the stock has had a great year, rising more than 160% in 2025.

For more on the company, check out our interview with its CEO, Eric Lefkofsky.

markets

2h

Micron surges as Citi boosts price target to $175

Micron is on the move this morning, gapping higher and continuing to trade up double digits after Citi boosted its view on how much the shares can run.

Analyst Christopher Danely raised his price target on the memory chipmaking specialist to $175 from $150, while maintaining a “buy” rating. The average analyst price target of $151 has now been shattered by Micron’s rise today, and the stock is trading at its highest level since June 2024.

This continues Micron’s advance as OpenAI’s dogged determination to burn through cash to enhance its AI capabilities provides a broad lift to the space, punctuated by Oracle’s massive gain on Wednesday.

Call demand is running hot: just 13 minutes into the session, volumes are running at 106,157 compared to a 20-day average of 88,888.

Micron is slated to report quarterly results on September 23.

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J. Edward Moreno

2h

Centene rises after affirming full-year guidance

Centene soared in early trading after affirming its full-year guidance ahead of the Deutsche Bank 2025 Healthcare Summit on Thursday.

The company reiterated its expectation for adjusted diluted earnings per share to be approximately $1.75. At the conference, Centene executives also said they expect a higher percentage of its Medicare enrollees to be on more lucrative, top-rated plans next year, according to Bloomberg.

Earlier this week, UnitedHealth also reiterated its guidance and said it expects to have more top-rated plans in the coming year. The government rates insurance companies offering Medicare Advantage plans, and higher-rated plans are eligible for bonuses that can significantly increase a plan’s revenue.

Insurance companies that sell government-sponsored plans took a dive earlier this year amid unexpected rising costs. The recent announcements from both Centene and UnitedHealth may be a sign that the worst is behind them.

markets

2h

Delta boosts its third-quarter sales outlook on improved travel demand

Delta Air Lines reaffirmed its full-year earnings outlook on Thursday, seeing US travel demand hold strong for the rest of the year.

Citing “improved demand trends,” the airline also elevated its sales forecast for the third quarter to an increase of between 2% and 4%. In July, it guided for 0% to 4% growth.

The move marks a turnaround from just five months ago, when Delta and many of its rivals pulled their full-year earnings outlooks as growth stalled on “broad economic uncertainty.” At the beginning of the year, Delta said 2025 had the chance to be its best fiscal year in a century.

After plunging earlier this year, Delta’s shares are essentially flat in 2025.

markets

2h

Oracle’s rally briefly made cofounder Larry Ellison the world’s richest person, ahead of Elon Musk

Oracle pulled off one of the biggest rallies in its stock market history, as shares soared 36% on Wednesday after the company laid out a cloud business growth forecast that left analysts “blown away.”

What also went vertical, alongside the stock, was cofounder Larry Ellison’s fortune.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Ellison’s net worth jumped by a record $89 billion to $383 billion, the biggest single-day gain ever, briefly overtaking Elon Musk’s fortune and making him, for a moment, the world’s richest person. Musk reclaimed the top spot by the end of Wednesday.

Yesterday’s remarkable gain means that Larry Ellison has now seen his estimated wealth increase by $191 billion year to date. That’s the equivalent of making $752 million a day, more than $522 thousand a minute, or $8,703 per second.

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