22Nw LP Invests $2.04 Million in Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR)

22NW LP acquired a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,191,750 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $2,038,000. Nektar Therapeutics accounts for approximately 1.5% of 22NW LP's holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. 22NW LP owned about 1.19% of Nektar Therapeutics at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NKTR. Nantahala Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Nektar Therapeutics by 90.0% in the 4th quarter. Nantahala Capital Management LLC now owns 7,810,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $7,263,000 after buying an additional 3,700,000 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,414,984 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,316,000 after acquiring an additional 12,826 shares during the period. Boothbay Fund Management LLC grew its position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 59.3% in the fourth quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 555,876 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $517,000 after purchasing an additional 206,908 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC increased its position in Nektar Therapeutics by 56.3% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC now owns 27,654 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 9,958 shares during the period. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 200.3% during the fourth quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 181,679 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $169,000 after buying an additional 121,187 shares in the last quarter. 75.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Nektar Therapeutics Stock Down 4.0 %

NASDAQ NKTR traded down $0.03 on Wednesday, hitting $0.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,541,663 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,820,635. The firm has a market cap of $114.64 million, a PE ratio of -0.73 and a beta of 0.62. The company's 50-day moving average is $0.72 and its 200 day moving average is $0.92. Nektar Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $0.43 and a 1-year high of $1.93.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 12th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.18) by $0.33. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 173.28% and a negative net margin of 180.70%. The firm had revenue of $29.18 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.65 million. On average, equities analysts expect that Nektar Therapeutics will post -0.72 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Nektar Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $1.00 to $2.00 in a report on Friday, April 11th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Nektar Therapeutics from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $6.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, March 14th. B. Riley assumed coverage on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $4.00 price target on the stock. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and set a $6.50 target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $4.50.

Nektar Therapeutics Company Profile

Nektar Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on discovering and developing medicines in the field of immunotherapy in the United States and internationally. The company is developing rezpegaldesleukin, a cytokine Treg stimulant that is in phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus and ulcerative colitis, as well as phase 2b clinical trial to treat atopic dermatitis and psoriasis; and NKTR-255, an IL-15 receptor agonist, which is in phase 1 clinical trial to boost the immune system's natural ability to fight cancer.