Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Saturday.

NKTR has been the subject of several other reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 target price (up from $105.00) on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Monday, February 23rd. HC Wainwright increased their price target on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, William Blair raised shares of Nektar Therapeutics from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $136.43.

Nektar Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ NKTR opened at $74.34 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $57.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.23. Nektar Therapeutics has a twelve month low of $6.45 and a twelve month high of $77.00. The stock has a market cap of $2.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.29 and a beta of 1.16.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.78) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.69) by $0.91. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 386.16% and a negative net margin of 297.07%.The company had revenue of $21.81 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.44 million. On average, research analysts forecast that Nektar Therapeutics will post -0.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Nektar Therapeutics news, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 423 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total value of $30,879.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 75,489 shares in the company, valued at $5,510,697. The trade was a 0.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan Zalevsky sold 3,867 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.67, for a total value of $137,935.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 21,354 shares in the company, valued at $761,697.18. This trade represents a 15.33% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 4,470 shares of company stock valued at $181,955. Insiders own 3.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nektar Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NKTR. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Nektar Therapeutics by 93.8% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 434 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth $88,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 1,741.2% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,565 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $90,000 after purchasing an additional 1,480 shares during the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at $96,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $85,000. Institutional investors 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.