Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) Stock Price Expected to Rise, B. Riley Analyst Says

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR - Get Free Report) had its price target raised by research analysts at B. Riley from $60.00 to $85.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the biopharmaceutical company's stock. B. Riley's price target would suggest a potential upside of 242.60% from the company's previous close. B. Riley also issued estimates for Nektar Therapeutics' Q2 2025 earnings at ($3.43) EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at ($2.89) EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at ($3.06) EPS, FY2025 earnings at ($11.11) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($11.61) EPS, FY2027 earnings at ($14.17) EPS, FY2028 earnings at ($12.89) EPS and FY2029 earnings at ($11.64) EPS.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on NKTR. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Nektar Therapeutics from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $90.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, March 14th. William Blair reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Monday, May 12th. HC Wainwright lifted their target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Nektar Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Nektar Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $15.00 to $30.00 in a report on Friday, April 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $88.33.

Nektar Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock traded down $0.29 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $24.81. 912,455 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 500,470. The company has a market cap of $307.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.57 and a beta of 0.94. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $13.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.83. Nektar Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $6.48 and a 52 week high of $37.38.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($3.30) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($2.70) by ($0.60). The business had revenue of $10.46 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.61 million. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 152.49% and a negative return on equity of 329.54%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($2.70) EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Nektar Therapeutics will post -0.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Nektar Therapeutics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NKTR. Voya Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 46.8% during the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 266,773 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $181,000 after acquiring an additional 85,094 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 23.3% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 221,761 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $151,000 after acquiring an additional 41,948 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 7,301,734 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $4,961,000 after acquiring an additional 100,645 shares in the last quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at about $344,000. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at about $68,000. 75.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Nektar Therapeutics

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.