By Catherine Dunn
Moderna shares briefly spiked Thursday morning as news unfolded over a cluster of hantavirus cases that originated among passengers traveling last month on a Dutch-flagged cruise from Argentina to Cabo Verde.
Evercore ISI analysts cautioned investors, however, writing in a Thursday note that "with regards to current headlines, we see no meaningful revenue opportunity."
Eight cases of illness have been reported, including three deaths, according to the WHO. Five of the cases are confirmed as hantavirus, which is carried by rodents, while the other three cases are suspected as such, WHO's head, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said at a Thursday press conference.
While it's possible more cases will be reported, "WHO assesses the public health risk as low," Tedros said.
The type of hantavirus involved in the cluster is the Andes virus, the only species known to be capable of "limited transmission between humans, " Tedros said.
Despite the lack of a broader spread, Evercore ISI on Thursday noted an uptick in headlines and social media posts related to a Moderna collaboration on the virus with Korea University that began in 2023.
"As a heavily retail-trafficked name, MRNA tends to trade on outbreak headlines well beyond the underlying commercial implications," Evercore analysts wrote.
Hantavirus is a "low-incidence, structurally small market," Evercore said, while a "mRNA hantavirus candidate remains very early stage."
Any "potential outsized moves," analysts added, at most "reinforces Moderna's mRNA platform agility, something already well understood post-COVID."
Shares spiked 6% when the market opened Thursday, but by early afternoon shares were back down, trading closer to Wednesday's close of $48.79.
Write to Catherine Dunn at catherine.dunn@dowjones.com
This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 07, 2026 12:36 ET (16:36 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.