Did Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel just 'dump $400 million in stock'?

In February 2022, a rumor started circulating online that Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel had just “dumped $400 million in stock” and deleted his Twitter account. The conspiracy-mongering website Newspunch reported: Moderna CEO Just Dumped $400 Million in Stock and Deleted His Twitter Account

Did “Moderna CEO dump $400 million in stock and delete Twitter account”?

Similar versions of the claim have been shared to Facebook, Bitchute and the Reddit forum WallStreetBets. “Moderna CEO Just Dumped $400 Million in Stock and Deleted His Twitter Account,” reads a Feb. 12 headline from News Punch, a site previously known as Yournewswire.com that has in the past shared misinformation and conspiracy theories.

Who sold Moderna stock?

Rounding out the group of Moderna sellers is Juan Andres, the firm’s chief technical operations and quality officer, who sold shares worth $27.2 million. Collectively, Moderna executives and Flagship funds have sold nearly $1.9 billion (pretax) of the company’s fast-rising stock since March 2020.

What happened to Moderna's share price?

Moderna’s share price fell 10% to $71.67 on Tuesday after health website STAT reported that vaccine experts concluded the company did not release enough information to know how significant the Phase 1 findings are. By Thursday, Moderna finished at $67.05, down 16% from its Monday close.