Moderna stock cements lead as S&P 500's top performer of 2021

Moderna's stock cemented its position as the top performer in the S&P 500 for 2021, rising another 7.5% on Tuesday ahead of a meeting between the White House and the COVID-19 Response Team set for today in which next steps for boosters are expected to be discussed. 

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
MRNA	MODERNA INC.	38.25	+1.31	+3.55%

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has administered 357,894,995 million doses through Aug. 16, with Pfizer-BioNTech leading Moderna in both administered and delivered doses. 

Despite the lead, Moderna stock has locked in annual gains of more than 285%, making it the top annual performer for the broadest measure of the U.S. stock market, even with a slight pullback from hitting its high of $497.17 per share. 

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Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
PFE	PFIZER INC.	25.13	+0.19	+0.76%
BNTX	BIONTECH SE	108.23	+6.09	+5.96%

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel told FOX Business earlier this month the company is on track to deliver 1 billion doses this year, with even higher expectations for 2022 depending on confirmed clinical dosages. 

"It would be between 2 and 3 billion doses, so I expect we would be able to double the output next year, maybe even triple it" he said. 

Additionally, Bancel discussed the company's improving balance sheet. 

"We are now sitting on $12.2 billion of cash," he noted, adding that "the board authorized a share buyback of up to $1 billion" as the company reported quarterly results. 

 Steelmaker Nucor is the S&P 500's second-best performer, with annual gains of 125%.   

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
NUE	NUCOR CORP.	149.99	+1.82	+1.23%