Covid Vaccine Makers’ Stocks Crash To Multiyear Lows Monday As Sales Keep Sliding

Topline

Moderna and BioNTech shares both cratered to their lowest price in years Monday as the companies behind the most widely-circulated mRNA Covid-19 vaccines grapple with investor disappointment with crashing revenues.

Key Facts

BioNTech and Moderna’s stocks fell 8% and 6%, respectively, a decline spurred by BioNTech’s earnings report revealing the German firm’s sales fell 95% year-over-year last quarter.

Moderna’s fresh decline came after it reported a 93% annual decline in quarterly revenues in its own earnings release Thursday.

Moderna’s $101.20 close Monday was its lowest since November 2020, while BioNTech’s $98.50 close was its lowest since March 2021.

BioNTech, which developed a Covid vaccine with Pfizer, said Monday it expects to generate $5.5 billion in Covid vaccine sales this year, a 70% decline from 2022, while Moderna’s $6 billion to $8 billion in forecasted Covid jab sales is similarly about two-thirds below its $18 billion of revenue in the unit last year.

The stock crashes moved against broader market gains, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s 408-point, or 1.2%, rally its strongest since June 2.

Key Background

Shares of Moderna are down 78% from their September 2021 high of $456, making the Massachusetts-based pharmaceutical company the worst-performing stock listed on the S&P 500 during the period, according to FactSet data. BioNTech, which isn’t listed on the S&P, is also down 78% from its 2021 peak share price. Moderna and Pfizer are among the worst-performing stocks listed on the S&P this year as the rival firms both grappled with declining demand for Covid prevention and treatment.

Big Number

About $340 billion. That’s how much market capitalization BioNTech (down $85 billion) and Moderna (down $157 billion) have lost over the last two years.

Crucial Quote

Until BioNTech gets “the COVID guidance monkey off its back, this will remain purgatory for most investors,” Jefferies analysts led by Akash Tewari wrote in a Monday note to clients.