Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume on Analyst Upgrade

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Wednesday after HC Wainwright raised their price target on the stock from $135.00 to $165.00. HC Wainwright currently has a buy rating on the stock. Approximately 1,406,664 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 44% from the previous session’s volume of 976,724 shares.The stock last traded at $64.2950 and had previously closed at $56.00.

NKTR has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wall Street Zen cut Nektar Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 16th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $102.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, December 29th. BTIG Research upped their price target on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $118.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, William Blair upgraded Nektar Therapeutics from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $119.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 2,207 shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.28, for a total value of $119,795.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 54,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,944,418.60. The trade was a 3.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Mark Andrew Wilson sold 630 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.28, for a total value of $34,196.40. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 21,585 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,171,633.80. The trade was a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 7,861 shares of company stock worth $354,730 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.71% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Nektar Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: REZOLVE?AD 36?week maintenance data showed durable and deepening responses (high maintained EASI?75 and vIGA?AD 0/1 rates, increased EASI?100 at week 52) with a favorable safety profile, supporting progression to a pivotal Phase 3 program — this is the primary catalyst behind the rally. REZOLVE?AD maintenance data
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst momentum: several firms raised ratings/targets (William Blair to outperform; BTIG and HC Wainwright lifted price targets substantially) and Citi reiterated a Buy — analysts are now modeling meaningful upside, which amplifies investor interest. Citi reiterates Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Heavy bullish trading flow: unusual call?option activity and elevated equity volume suggest speculative and institutional buying around the data and analyst commentary, adding upward momentum (short?term positive technical pressure).
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research and other analysts nudged EPS/forecast models (estimates improved — i.e., less negative EPS projections for 2026–2027), reflecting the trial’s potential impact on future revenue/profitability, but the company remains loss?making today.
• Negative Sentiment: Proposed public offering: Nektar commenced an underwritten offering to raise $300M of common stock and pre?funded warrants. That raises dilution risk and could cap near?term gains despite the clinical upside. Offering announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Volatility and hype risk: some coverage flags that the recent surge may have overshot fundamentals (one note questioned whether further upside is sustainable after a >50% jump), introducing pullback risk if Phase 3 expectations or commercial assumptions prove optimistic. Zacks commentary on the rally

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nektar Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NKTR. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Nektar Therapeutics by 93.8% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 434 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in Nektar Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth $39,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at about $65,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in Nektar Therapeutics in the 1st quarter worth approximately $68,000. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth $88,000. 75.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nektar Therapeutics Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $43.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $45.96. The firm has a market cap of $1.32 billion, a PE ratio of -8.17 and a beta of 1.34.

Nektar Therapeutics Company Profile

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.