Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) Sets New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $77.00 and last traded at $75.60, with a volume of 43011 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $72.96.

Key Stories Impacting Nektar Therapeutics

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

• Neutral Sentiment: Wedbush initiated coverage of NKTR with a Neutral rating and a $70 price target, implying modest downside from recent prices and signaling limited near?term analyst upside. Wedbush coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short?interest data in late March shows anomalous zero/NaN values across filings (likely a data/reporting error); this does not provide a clear bearish or bullish signal. Monitor updated short?interest reports for confirmation.
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP filed a securities class action against Nektar and certain officers alleging violations of federal securities laws for purchases between Feb 26, 2025 and Dec 15, 2025 — a formal complaint that increases legal risk and potential liability exposure. Pomerantz filing
• Negative Sentiment: Levi & Korsinsky issued an investor alert focusing on alleged misrepresentations about REZOLVE?AA patient enrollment compliance — the substantive allegation that underpins many of the class action claims and is likely a primary driver of investor concern. Levi & Korsinsky alert
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple national plaintiff firms (Rosen, Schall, Bronstein Gewirtz, Bernstein Liebhard, Robbins, Faruqi & Faruqi, Glancy, Gross, etc.) have issued notices urging NKTR investors to seek lead?plaintiff status before the May 5, 2026 deadline — amplifying litigation visibility and the chance of coordinated claims. Representative notices: Rosen (Newsfile), Schall (GlobeNewswire). Rosen notice Schall notice

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on NKTR. HC Wainwright raised their target price on Nektar Therapeutics from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Citigroup upped their price target on Nektar Therapeutics from $102.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. BTIG Research raised their price objective on Nektar Therapeutics from $118.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Nektar Therapeutics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.13.

Nektar Therapeutics Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $58.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $55.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.16 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.43 and a beta of 1.16.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.78) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($2.69) by $0.91. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 297.07% and a negative return on equity of 386.16%. The company had revenue of $21.81 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.44 million. Analysts predict that Nektar Therapeutics will post -0.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 423 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total transaction of $30,879.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 75,489 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,510,697. This trade represents a 0.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan Zalevsky sold 3,867 shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.67, for a total value of $137,935.89. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 21,354 shares in the company, valued at $761,697.18. This trade represents a 15.33% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 4,470 shares of company stock worth $181,955 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Nektar Therapeutics by 93.8% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 434 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $65,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the first quarter worth $68,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Nektar Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at $85,000. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Nektar Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at $88,000. 75.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.