MRNA fell to four-year lows just last week
Moderna Inc (NASDAQ:MRNA) stock is surging today, up 8.7% at $37.02 at last glance, after the vaccine maker was awarded $590 million from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department to speed up the development of its bird flu vaccine, as the virus spreads rapidly throughout the country.
MRNA has had a rough go of it since its meteoric rise at the height of Covid-19, as the demand vaccines waned. Just last week, the stock plummeted to its lowest levels since 2020 after a slashed forecast. Since last January, the equity is down roughly 62%.
Options traders are calling a bottom, with 27,000 calls exchanged so far -- double the call volume typically seen at this point in the day -- compared to 9,260 puts. The March 45 call is the most popular, followed by the weekly 1/24 37.50-strike call, with new positions opening at both.
Options could be a good way to go when weighing in on MRNA. The stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) of 99 out of 100 means it's typically outperformed options traders' volatility expectations over the past year.