Zacks Research Has Positive Outlook for NKTR Q3 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its Q3 2026 EPS estimate for Nektar Therapeutics to a loss of $2.45 from a projected loss of $3.05, while forecasting a full-year 2026 loss of $8.58 per share.
• Nektar remains unprofitable but beat quarterly expectations in its latest results, reporting a $1.23 per-share loss versus the $1.97 consensus estimate; revenue of $10.13 million was slightly below forecasts.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly favorable, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $141.50, although longer-term estimates call for wider losses of $16.15 per share in 2027 and $17.77 in 2028.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q3 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a note issued to investors on Thursday, September 3rd. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the biopharmaceutical company will earn ($2.45) per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of ($3.05). The consensus estimate for Nektar Therapeutics' current full-year earnings is ($8.28) per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Nektar Therapeutics' Q4 2026 earnings at ($3.07) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($8.58) EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at ($3.17) EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at ($3.06) EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at ($4.28) EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at ($5.65) EPS, FY2027 earnings at ($16.15) EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at ($4.28) EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at ($3.82) EPS and FY2028 earnings at ($17.77) EPS.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.23) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.97) by $0.74. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 37.87% and a negative net margin of 287.84%.The company had revenue of $10.13 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.43 million.

NKTR has been the subject of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, August 21st. They set a "neutral" rating and a $65.00 price target for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group assumed coverage on Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $153.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Nektar Therapeutics from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, May 17th. Wedbush cut their target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $95.00 to $80.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Friday, August 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $141.50.

Nektar Therapeutics Price Performance

NKTR opened at $74.19 on Monday. Nektar Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $33.40 and a 12 month high of $109.00. The stock has a market cap of $2.53 billion, a P/E ratio of -11.07 and a beta of 1.14. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $71.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.09.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nektar Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Nektar Therapeutics by 336.9% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,640,851 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $2,463,000 after buying an additional 2,807,595 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in Nektar Therapeutics by 8,374.9% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 2,430,784 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $169,693,000 after acquiring an additional 2,402,102 shares during the last quarter. Two Seas Capital LP acquired a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,506,000. Prosight Management LP bought a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth approximately $23,450,000. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP grew its position in Nektar Therapeutics by 446.9% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 434,237 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $24,708,000 after acquiring an additional 354,842 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.88% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jonathan Zalevsky sold 5,681 shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total value of $397,670.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,756 shares of the company's stock, valued at $682,920. This trade represents a 36.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Howard Robin sold 418 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.98, for a total transaction of $30,087.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 54,627 shares in the company, valued at $3,932,051.46. This represents a 0.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 21,823 shares of company stock worth $1,380,558. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Nektar Therapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting Nektar Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its estimated 2026 loss to $8.58 per share from $10.59, including improved forecasts for third-quarter 2026 ($2.45 loss versus $3.05 previously) and fourth-quarter 2026 ($3.07 loss versus $3.26 previously). Nektar Therapeutics analyst estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also modestly improved its first-quarter 2027 EPS estimate to a $3.17 loss from a $3.41 loss, suggesting some expected improvement in selected periods.
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the revisions, Nektar remains expected to report substantial losses: the current consensus for the company’s full-year earnings is a loss of $8.51 per share, while the stock’s negative earnings profile underscores its dependence on clinical and pipeline progress rather than current profitability.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks sharply reduced its 2027 outlook, increasing the projected full-year loss to $16.15 per share from $13.28. Estimates were also lowered for the second quarter of 2027, third quarter of 2027, and fourth quarter of 2027.
• Negative Sentiment: Longer-term expectations deteriorated further: the projected 2028 loss widened to $17.77 per share from $14.02, with estimates lowered for the first and second quarters of 2028 as well as the second quarter of 2028. These revisions imply greater anticipated cash burn or operating costs and are likely weighing on investor sentiment.

Nektar Therapeutics Company Profile

Nektar Therapeutics NASDAQ: NKTR is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering and developing novel drug candidates through its proprietary chemistry and immunology platforms. The company focuses on polymer conjugate technology, which enables the creation of longer-acting versions of existing drugs, and on T-cell modulatory therapies aimed at harnessing the body's immune system to treat cancer and other serious diseases.

Nektar's product portfolio and pipeline include a range of clinical-stage and partnered programs.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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