Arguably the one company most associated with messenger RNA (mRNA) is Moderna (MRNA +11.97%). The biotech even has MRNA as its stock ticker. But it's not the only vaccine maker focused on mRNA technology. In this Motley Fool Live video recorded on Aug. 25, 2021, Motley Fool contributors Keith Speights and Brian Orelli talk about three mRNA stocks not named Moderna that investors might want to check out.
Keith Speights: Brian, is there a smaller biotech or two that is also focusing on mRNA that you think investors might at least want to check out?
Brian Orelli: Yeah. But I haven't really done maybe a good enough deep dive to pull them out of my head. There are some that are certainly earlier stage that are going to be riskier, but definitely, do you have one that you had in mind?
Speights: There's one that I'm starting to do some research on. I've written about it a couple of times in the past or a few times in the past. Arcturus Therapeutics (ARCT +3.60%), ARCT is the ticker there, has mRNA vaccines in development, not just for COVID-19.
I'm not recommending their stock at this point, but it's just one you might want to check out. It is a much smaller market cap than Moderna. I think Arcturus is right at, I'm going to pull up really quickly... it's $1.4 billion market cap right now.
There are other companies that are focusing on mRNA that you might want to check out. BioNTech (BNTX +1.19%), it's not nearly as big as Moderna, and they have a pretty strong mRNA pipeline.
Of course, if you want to be more risk averse, check out Pfizer (PFE 1.52%). Pfizer, of course, is already partnered with BioNTech, but Pfizer is moving into its own development of mRNA vaccines and therapies. So if you're risk averse, Pfizer might be a company to look into if you're interested in mRNA.
