560,235 Shares in Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) Acquired by Deuterium Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Deuterium Capital Management LLC invested $381,000 in Nektar Therapeutics, acquiring 560,235 shares, which now constitutes 0.8% of its portfolio.
• Nektar Therapeutics reported a loss of ($3.30) earnings per share, missing estimates, and had negative revenue of $10.46 million for the last quarter.
• Wall Street analysts have varied ratings on Nektar, with the consensus being a "Moderate Buy" and a target price of $88.33 per share.

Deuterium Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 560,235 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $381,000. Nektar Therapeutics comprises 0.8% of Deuterium Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Deuterium Capital Management LLC owned about 0.30% of Nektar Therapeutics at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Nantahala Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Nektar Therapeutics by 90.0% during the 4th quarter. Nantahala Capital Management LLC now owns 7,810,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $7,263,000 after acquiring an additional 3,700,000 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in Nektar Therapeutics by 187.3% during the 4th quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 4,974,512 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $4,626,000 after acquiring an additional 3,242,841 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in Nektar Therapeutics by 17.5% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,910,786 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $3,637,000 after acquiring an additional 583,153 shares during the period. Altium Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Nektar Therapeutics by 26,172.0% during the 4th quarter. Altium Capital Management LLC now owns 3,000,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $2,790,000 after acquiring an additional 2,988,581 shares during the period. Finally, 22NW LP acquired a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth about $2,038,000. 75.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nektar Therapeutics Price Performance

NKTR traded up $1.16 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $22.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 393,659 shares, compared to its average volume of 868,466. Nektar Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $6.45 and a fifty-two week high of $37.38. The stock has a market cap of $283.42 million, a PE ratio of -2.38 and a beta of 0.94. The business's 50-day moving average is $18.18 and its 200-day moving average is $13.76.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on NKTR shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised Nektar Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $15.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Friday, April 11th. B. Riley increased their price objective on Nektar Therapeutics from $60.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Nektar Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. William Blair reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their price objective on Nektar Therapeutics from $60.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $88.33.

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.