Jim Cramer tells viewers to hold Moderna after a phase 3 cancer-trial milestone

On the Aug. 26 episode of Mad Money, Jim Cramer discussed Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) after a caller described buying 1,000 shares at about $54 a few weeks earlier, watching the shares rise sharply to around $150, and asking what to do next.

The caller’s question centered on Moderna’s involvement in a phase 3 cancer trial. Cramer’s response, as described in the segment recap, was straightforward: “hold” Moderna despite the large run-up.

Cramer’s broader framing was that Moderna’s research pipeline, particularly where it reaches late-stage clinical testing, matters for shareholders who are deciding whether recent price momentum reflects durable scientific progress or just short-term trading.

While the recap highlights the phase 3 cancer trial theme, it does not provide additional specifics on the trial’s indication, endpoints, or the magnitude of any reported clinical results. It also does not spell out whether the latest share-price jump was tied to a particular press release, an earnings event, or broader market reaction.

The segment also played out in the context of what mRNA companies typically face when moving from earlier studies into phase 3. Phase 3 trials are intended to validate effectiveness and safety at scale, and investors often treat positive or even ambiguous late-stage data as a potential inflection point for both revenue expectations and partner interest.

Moderna, which is listed on Nasdaq, is part of the wider healthcare sector’s push toward mRNA-based therapies and vaccines. mRNA platforms work by delivering instructions to cells that can help produce disease-relevant targets, a model that has historically driven the company’s commercial strategy and capital-market attention.

That said, the Yahoo Finance recap does not include the trial data details that would normally allow readers to independently assess whether the news justifies a hold recommendation, or whether additional confirmatory information is expected before investors can fully price the opportunity.

What to watch next will likely be whether Moderna provides fuller phase 3 readouts or follow-on updates tied to the cancer program discussed on air, and whether management’s disclosures clarify the commercial timeline for any eventual therapy or partnership. Until then, the segment provides a market view on sentiment rather than a substitute for trial-level evidence.