Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) has an average analyst rating of "Moderate Buy", with one hold and six buy ratings, and a 12-month price target average of $88.33.
• Recent insider activity includes CEO Howard W. Robin selling 1,573 shares at $26.59 per share, resulting in a 2.22% decrease in his holdings.
• In its latest earnings report, Nektar Therapeutics beat estimates with revenues of $11.18 million and an EPS of ($2.95), exceeding the consensus estimate of ($3.13).

Shares of Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $88.3333.

A number of research firms recently commented on NKTR. William Blair reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Monday, May 12th. B. Riley boosted their target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $60.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. HC Wainwright boosted 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. BTIG Research boosted their target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $60.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Nektar Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th.

Nektar Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NKTR stock traded up $0.52 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $29.86. 381,741 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 660,508. The company's 50 day moving average price is $24.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.75. Nektar Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $6.45 and a 12 month high of $37.38. The company has a market cap of $567.94 million, a P/E ratio of -3.39 and a beta of 1.05.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($2.95) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($3.13) by $0.18. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 163.17% and a negative return on equity of 631.43%. The business had revenue of $11.18 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.42 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Nektar Therapeutics will post -0.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nektar Therapeutics

In other news, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 1,573 shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.59, for a total value of $41,826.07. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 69,340 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,843,750.60. This trade represents a 2.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders have sold 2,974 shares of company stock valued at $79,079 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.71% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 1.4% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 7,301,734 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $4,961,000 after acquiring an additional 100,645 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 187.3% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Almitas Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 401.1% in the first quarter. Almitas Capital LLC now owns 4,610,872 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $3,135,000 after acquiring an additional 3,690,647 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,807,595 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 14.5% in the first quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 3,007,928 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $2,045,000 after acquiring an additional 380,967 shares in the last quarter. 75.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.