Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

Nektar Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company that leverages its proprietary polymer conjugate technology to develop innovative medicines in oncology, immunology and other specialty areas. Since its founding in 1990, Nektar has focused on enhancing the properties of therapeutic molecules—such as peptides, proteins and small molecules—by improving their pharmacokinetics, safety and efficacy. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and its research and development efforts extend across the United States, Europe and Asia.

The company’s pipeline includes a range of clinical and preclinical candidates designed to stimulate the immune system against solid tumors and treat chronic diseases. One of its most advanced programs, bempegaldesleukin (NKTR-214), is an engineered interleukin-2 pathway agonist being studied in combination with checkpoint inhibitors for multiple cancer indications. Nektar also pursues programs in pain management and autoimmune disorders, where its polymer conjugate platform is used to modulate drug release and reduce adverse effects.

Nektar collaborates with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners to advance its pipeline assets and expand global access. The company operates research facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area and has established manufacturing partnerships to support clinical and commercial supply. Nektar’s strategic alliances and licensing agreements enable it to combine its proprietary technology with the expertise of larger partners in areas such as clinical development, regulatory affairs and global marketing.

Under the leadership of President and Chief Executive Officer Howard W. Robin, Nektar maintains a corporate focus on innovation, rigorous clinical validation and strategic business development. The management team includes experienced executives in research, clinical operations and regulatory affairs, reflecting the company’s commitment to translating its polymer conjugate platform into safe and effective therapies. Nektar’s board of directors combines scientific, financial and commercial expertise to guide long-term strategy and ensure alignment with patient and shareholder interests.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $24.51 to $27.72
• 50-Day Range: $8.51 to $29.68
• 52-Week Range: $6.48 to $37.38
• Volume: 1.10 million shs
• Average Volume: 523,511 shs
• Market Capitalization: $309.51 million
• P/E Ratio: N/A
• Dividend Yield: N/A
• Price Target: $88.33
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy

Nektar Therapeutics Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Nektar Therapeutics scored higher than 79% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 210th out of 922 stocks in the medical sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 3.4 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Moderate Buy

Consensus Rating

Nektar Therapeutics has received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy. The company's average rating score is 2.86, and is based on 6 buy ratings, 1 hold rating, and no sell ratings.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

Nektar Therapeutics has only been the subject of 4 research reports in the past 90 days.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 0.0 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: Decreasing

Earnings Growth

Earnings for Nektar Therapeutics are expected to decrease in the coming year, from ($0.72) to ($0.80) per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Nektar Therapeutics is -2.60, which means that its earnings are negative and its P/E ratio cannot be compared to companies with positive earnings.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Nektar Therapeutics is -2.60, which means that its earnings are negative and its P/E ratio cannot be compared to companies with positive earnings.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

Nektar Therapeutics has a P/B Ratio of 5.05. P/B Ratios above 3 indicate that a company could be overvalued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 2.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Bearish

Percentage of Shares Shorted

9.60% of the float of Nektar Therapeutics has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Nektar Therapeutics has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 0.8, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Nektar Therapeutics has recently increased by 104.77%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly.

Dividend

• Score: 0.0 / 5
• Dividend Strength: N/A

Dividend Yield

Nektar Therapeutics does not currently pay a dividend.

Dividend Growth

Nektar Therapeutics does not have a long track record of dividend growth.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: 4.2 / 5
• Environmental Score: -1.77

Percentage of Shares Shorted

9.60% of the float of Nektar Therapeutics has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Nektar Therapeutics has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 0.8, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Nektar Therapeutics has recently increased by 104.77%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly.

News and Social Media

• Score: 2.4 / 5
• News Sentiment: 0.38

News Sentiment

Nektar Therapeutics has a news sentiment score of 0.38. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a lower news sentiment than the 0.57 average news sentiment score of Medical companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 5 news articles for Nektar Therapeutics this week, compared to 5 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

47 people have searched for NKTR on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 488% compared to the previous 30 days.

MarketBeat Follows

10 people have added Nektar Therapeutics to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 900% compared to the previous 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Insider Trading: Selling Shares

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Nektar Therapeutics insiders have sold more of their company's stock than they have bought. Specifically, they have bought $0.00 in company stock and sold $29,416.00 in company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

Only 5.25% of the stock of Nektar Therapeutics is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

75.88% of the stock of Nektar Therapeutics is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

NKTR Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have NKTR shares performed this year?

Nektar Therapeutics' stock was trading at $13.95 at the start of the year. Since then, NKTR stock has increased by 78.8% and is now trading at $24.94.

How were Nektar Therapeutics' earnings last quarter?

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May, 8th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($3.30) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($2.70) by $0.60. The biopharmaceutical company earned $10.46 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.61 million. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative trailing twelve-month return on equity of 329.54% and a negative net margin of 152.49%.
Read the conference call transcript.

When did Nektar Therapeutics' stock split?

Nektar Therapeutics shares reverse split on the morning of Monday, June 9th 2025.A 1-15 reverse split was announced. The number of shares owned by shareholders was adjusted after the closing bell on Sunday, June 8th 2025. An investor that had 100 shares of stock prior to the reverse split would have 7 shares after the split.

Who are Nektar Therapeutics' major shareholders?

Nektar Therapeutics' top institutional investors include Palumbo Wealth Management LLC (0.19%), Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC (0.07%), Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio (0.02%) and Parallel Advisors LLC (0.01%). Insiders that own company stock include Deep Track Capital, Lp, Howard W Robin, Mark Andrew Wilson, Jillian B Thomsen, Jonathan Zalevsky, Robert Chess, Roy A Whitfield and Myriam Curet.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of Nektar Therapeutics?

Shares of NKTR stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of Nektar Therapeutics own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that Nektar Therapeutics investors own include NVIDIA (NVDA), Meta Platforms (META), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Intel (INTC), Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY), Netflix (NFLX) and Exxon Mobil (XOM).

Company Calendar

• Last Earnings: 5/08/2025
• Today: 7/19/2025
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 8/06/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2025

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NASDAQ
• Sector: Medical
• Industry: MED - DRUGS
• Sub-Industry: Pharmaceuticals
• Current Symbol: NASDAQ:NKTR
• CIK: 906709
• Web: www.nektar.com
• Phone: (415) 482-5300
• Fax: 415-339-5300
• Employees: 220
• Year Founded: 1990

Price Target and Rating

• Average Price Target for Nektar Therapeutics: $88.33
• High Price Target: $120.00
• Low Price Target: $30.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: +254.2%
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.86
• Research Coverage: 7 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): ($9.60)
• Trailing P/E Ratio: N/A
• Forward P/E Ratio: N/A
• P/E Growth: N/A
• Net Income: -$118.96 million
• Net Margins: -152.49%
• Pretax Margin: -147.55%
• Return on Equity: -329.54%
• Return on Assets: -55.24%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: N/A
• Current Ratio: 3.24
• Quick Ratio: 3.24

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $98.43 million
• Price / Sales: 3.14
• Cash Flow: N/A
• Price / Cash Flow: N/A
• Book Value: $4.94 per share
• Price / Book: 5.05

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 12,410,000
• Free Float: 11,756,000
• Market Cap: $309.51 million
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 0.94