Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $4.73 Million Stock Holdings in Nektar Therapeutics $NKTR

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) by 63.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 111,900 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 191,300 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.55% of Nektar Therapeutics worth $4,731,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NKTR. Farallon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at $45,008,000. Readystate Asset Management LP bought a new position in Nektar Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth about $2,563,000. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP bought a new position in Nektar Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth about $6,127,000. Propel Bio Management LLC bought a new position in Nektar Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth about $2,788,000. Finally, Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth about $983,000. Institutional investors own 75.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Nektar Therapeutics

In related news, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 444 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.51, for a total value of $29,086.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 75,045 shares in the company, valued at $4,916,197.95. The trade was a 0.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on NKTR shares. Wedbush reduced 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 note on Monday, May 11th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Friday, March 13th. B. Riley Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price target (up from $105.00) on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Monday, February 23rd. HC Wainwright lifted their price target on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $105.00 to $192.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Nektar Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.63.

Nektar Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NKTR opened at $66.61 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.25 billion, a PE ratio of -7.91 and a beta of 1.24. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $77.90 and its 200-day moving average is $61.90. Nektar Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $7.99 and a 52 week high of $109.00.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.82) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.58) by ($0.24). The business had revenue of $10.86 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.69 million. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 85.40% and a negative net margin of 284.18%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Nektar Therapeutics will post -9.65 EPS for the current year.

Nektar Therapeutics 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.