Moderna Inc (NASDAQ:MRNA) shares are trading higher Friday morning as traders react to peer reviewed Phase 3 flu-vaccine data. Here’s what investors need to know.

• Moderna stock is showing upward bias. Where is MRNA stock headed?

What To Watch: Moderna’s Flu Vaccine Phase 3 Results

Moderna said Phase 3 results for its mRNA-based seasonal flu vaccine candidate, mRNA-1010, were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showing it met the study's prespecified superiority criterion versus a licensed standard-dose seasonal influenza vaccine in adults 50 and older. The company reported relative vaccine efficacy of 26.6% overall, including 29.6% for A/H1N1, 22.2% for A/H3N2, and 29.1% for the B/Victoria lineage, with 27.4% efficacy in participants 65 and older.

Moderna's near-term setup is also being shaped by the regulatory timeline, with an FDA PDUFA goal date of August 5 for mRNA-1010 as filings are under review across the U.S., Europe, Canada and Australia. CEO Stéphane Bancel framed the publication as support for "ongoing regulatory submissions," keeping the focus on whether this program can become a commercial bridge beyond COVID.

Moderna Stock: Key Levels To Watch

With premarket futures higher (Nasdaq up 0.70%, S&P 500 up 0.42%), Moderna is trading with the broader risk-on tone, but the chart still shows a tug-of-war between longer-term strength and shorter-term consolidation. At $49.05, the stock is trading 2.7% below its 20-day SMA ($50.47) and 4.8% below its 50-day SMA ($51.55), even as it remains 7.6% above its 100-day SMA ($45.63) and 36.3% above its 200-day SMA ($36.02).

Momentum looks more "reset" than "breakout" right now, with RSI at 46.07—neutral and consistent with a stock working off the March swing high rather than pressing a fresh up-leg. (RSI measures how stretched buying or selling has become; readings near the midline often show a market in balance.)

The bigger-picture trend is still supported by the golden cross that formed in January (50-day SMA above the 200-day SMA), but the near-term moving-average stack is less friendly with the 20-day SMA below the 50-day SMA. That combination often shows a longer-term uptrend that's pausing, where bulls typically want to see price reclaim the 50-day area to reassert control.

• Key Resistance: $55.00 — a round-number area that can act as an overhead "decision" zone after the recent pullback
• Key Support: $47.50 — a nearby pivot area just below current levels where dip-buyers have recently shown up

What Is Moderna And Its Business Model?

Moderna is a commercial-stage biotech that was founded in 2010 and had its initial public offering in December 2018. The firm's mRNA technology was rapidly validated with its covid vaccine, which was authorized in the United States in December 2020.

Beyond COVID, Moderna had 35 mRNA development candidates in clinical studies as of August 2025, spanning infectious disease, oncology, cardiovascular disease, and rare genetic diseases.

That's why the mRNA-1010 flu readout matters to the stock: it's part of the market's ongoing effort to handicap whether Moderna can build durable vaccine/franchise revenue as pandemic-era demand fades.

Moderna Shares Edge Higher Friday

MRNA Stock Price Activity: Moderna shares were up 2.80% at $49.90 Friday morning, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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