Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) Lowered to Sell Rating by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Nektar Therapeutics from a "hold" to a "sell", even as MarketBeat's analyst consensus remains a "Moderate Buy" with a $128.13 average target, highlighting mixed analyst views on the stock.
• Nektar beat recent quarterly expectations—reporting ($1.78) EPS vs. ($2.69) expected and $21.81M in revenue vs. $10.44M expected—but remains unprofitable with deeply negative margins and returns.
• Multiple plaintiff firms have filed or solicited shareholders for class action lawsuits, increasing headline risk and potential litigation costs for the company.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note issued on Sunday.

NKTR has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $102.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, March 13th. William Blair upgraded Nektar Therapeutics from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Wedbush assumed coverage on Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 price target for the company. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $128.13.

Nektar Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NKTR opened at $68.66 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.73 and a beta of 1.17. Nektar Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $6.45 and a 12 month high of $77.97. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $60.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $55.90.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.78) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($2.69) by $0.91. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 297.07% and a negative return on equity of 386.16%. The firm had revenue of $21.81 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.44 million. Analysts anticipate that Nektar Therapeutics will post -0.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Nektar Therapeutics news, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 423 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total transaction of $30,879.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,489 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,510,697. This represents a 0.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan Zalevsky sold 3,867 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.67, for a total transaction of $137,935.89. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 21,354 shares in the company, valued at approximately $761,697.18. The trade was a 15.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 4,470 shares of company stock valued at $181,955 over the last 90 days. 5.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Nektar Therapeutics by 336.9% in the 1st 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. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the first quarter valued at approximately $68,000. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 23.3% in the first 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. Stonepine Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,297,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics in the second quarter worth approximately $367,000. 75.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nektar Therapeutics News Roundup

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

• Neutral Sentiment: Wedbush initiated coverage of NKTR; new analyst coverage can affect sentiment but the report’s tone is unknown from the headline. Wedbush Begins Coverage on Nektar Therapeutics NASDAQ: NKTR
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced a class action filed against Nektar and certain officers alleging securities law violations for the Feb 26–Dec 15, 2025 period, seeking damages under Sections 10(b) and 20(a). Pomerantz Law Firm Announces the Filing of a Class Action Against Nektar Therapeutics, Inc. and Certain Officers - NKTR
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple nationwide plaintiff firms (Rosen, Faruqi & Faruqi, Bernstein Liebhard, Bragar Eagel & Squire, Bronstein Gewirtz & Grossman, Gross Law Firm, SueWallSt, others) have issued shareholder alerts encouraging NKTR investors to seek lead‑plaintiff status or join suits — driving attention to potential claims and the May 5, 2026 deadline. These coordinated solicitations magnify headline risk and potential legal costs. ROSEN, A GLOBAL INVESTOR RIGHTS LAW FIRM, Encourages Nektar Therapeutics Investors to Secure Counsel Before Important Deadline in Securities Class Action - NKTR
• Negative Sentiment: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman announced a class action has been filed alleging investor harm for purchases during the class period; active filings increase the chance of follow‑on discovery, expense and settlement risk. Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman LLC Urges Nektar Therapeutics Investors to Act: Class Action Filed Alleging Investor Harm
• Negative Sentiment: Bragar Eagel & Squire and The Gross Law Firm issued alerts that a class action has been filed and invited potential lead plaintiffs to contact the firms — more plaintiff activity that keeps the legal story in the market. NEKTAR CLASS ACTION ALERT: Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. Announces that a Class Action Lawsuit Has Been Filed Against Nektar Therapeutics and Encourages Investors to Contact the Firm
• Negative Sentiment: Several PRNewswire/Newsfile releases (including Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, Frank R. Cruz, SueWallSt) repeat the opportunity for investors to lead or join suits; the volume of notices increases headline frequency and short‑term selling pressure. Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) Shareholders Who Lost Money Have Opportunity to Lead Securities Fraud Lawsuit

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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