HC Wainwright Issues Pessimistic Forecast for NKTR Earnings

Key Points

• HC Wainwright lowered its Q3 2026 EPS forecast for Nektar Therapeutics to a loss of $1.91 per share from $1.90, while projecting continued losses through 2029 before a return to positive EPS in 2030.
• Nektar’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, reporting a $1.23 per-share loss versus the $1.97 consensus loss, although revenue of $10.13 million fell short of estimates and the company remains deeply unprofitable.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with 10 Buy ratings and an average price target of $150, but the stock’s $73.64 opening price reflects significant volatility and insider selling has totaled about $1.34 million over the past quarter.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR - Free Report) - HC Wainwright lowered their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for Nektar Therapeutics in a report issued on Monday, August 17th. HC Wainwright analyst A. He now expects that the biopharmaceutical company will post earnings per share of ($1.91) for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of ($1.90). The consensus estimate for Nektar Therapeutics' current full-year earnings is ($8.69) per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Nektar Therapeutics' FY2026 earnings at ($7.49) EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at ($1.19) EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at ($2.35) EPS, FY2027 earnings at ($8.83) EPS, FY2028 earnings at ($9.52) EPS, FY2029 earnings at ($6.32) EPS and FY2030 earnings at $0.35 EPS.

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

NKTR has been the subject of a number of other reports. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Nektar Therapeutics from $105.00 to $192.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $123.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Nektar Therapeutics from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, May 17th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $150.00.

Nektar Therapeutics Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NKTR stock opened at $73.64 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $2.49 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.99 and a beta of 1.14. Nektar Therapeutics has a 1 year low of $25.34 and a 1 year high of $109.00. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.78.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nektar Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in Nektar Therapeutics by 93.8% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 434 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. KBC Group NV bought a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the first quarter valued at approximately $52,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the first quarter worth approximately $67,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth $85,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth $65,000. Institutional investors own 75.88% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Nektar Therapeutics

In related news, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.32, for a total value of $603,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,045 shares in the company, valued at $3,923,514.40. This represents a 13.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan Zalevsky sold 5,681 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total transaction of $397,670.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 9,756 shares in the company, valued at $682,920. This trade represents a 36.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 21,219 shares of company stock worth $1,337,082 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

About Nektar Therapeutics

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.

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