Insider Selling: Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) Insider Sells $13,388.28 in Stock

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) insider Jonathan Zalevsky sold 186 shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.98, for a total transaction of $13,388.28. Following the transaction, the insider owned 9,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $688,848.60. The trade was a 1.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Jonathan Zalevsky also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, June 30th, Jonathan Zalevsky sold 5,681 shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total transaction of $397,670.00.
• On Monday, June 15th, Jonathan Zalevsky sold 5,538 shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.71, for a total transaction of $336,211.98.

Nektar Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NKTR opened at $74.02 on Friday. Nektar Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $26.45 and a 1-year high of $109.00. The stock has a market cap of $2.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.05 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $70.36.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.97) by $0.74. The firm had revenue of $10.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.43 million. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 37.87% and a negative net margin of 287.84%. On average, equities analysts expect that Nektar Therapeutics will post -8.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about Nektar Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Nektar’s latest quarterly results included an adjusted loss of $1.23 per share, substantially better than the $1.97 analyst consensus. The earnings-call transcript provides additional management commentary on the company’s pipeline and financial outlook. Nektar Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional ownership remains high at approximately 75.9%, while several funds—including AQR Capital Management, Two Seas Capital and Armistice Capital—recently increased their positions. The broader analyst consensus is still “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target well above the current trading level. Nektar institutional ownership and analyst ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan initiated coverage with a “Neutral” rating and a $65 price target. The target is below the recent share price, signaling limited near-term upside in JPMorgan’s view, although the rating is not an outright sell recommendation. JPMorgan initiates coverage of Nektar
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Howard Robin and insider Jonathan Zalevsky sold shares to cover tax withholding obligations tied to vested equity awards. The transactions were relatively small compared with their remaining holdings, reducing their significance as a bearish signal. Nektar insider transactions
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue of $10.13 million fell slightly short of the $10.43 million estimate, while Nektar continues to report substantial losses and is expected to post approximately negative $8.60 in full-year EPS. HC Wainwright also issued a negative outlook for NKTR earnings, adding to concerns about ongoing cash burn and execution risk. HC Wainwright earnings outlook

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NKTR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $105.00 to $192.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $153.00 price target for the company. Wedbush cut their price objective on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $95.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Nektar Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, May 17th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Nektar Therapeutics presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nektar Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 93.8% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. KBC Group NV purchased a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at $52,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth $65,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the 1st quarter worth $67,000. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics in the 1st quarter worth $68,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.88% 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.