Emerald Advisers LLC Takes Position in Nektar Therapeutics $NKTR

Emerald Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 323,246 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,393,000. Emerald Advisers LLC owned about 1.70% of Nektar Therapeutics at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NKTR. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics in the second quarter worth approximately $65,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics in the first quarter worth approximately $68,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $96,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at approximately $124,000. 75.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on NKTR. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. BTIG Research upped their price objective on Nektar Therapeutics from $100.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Wall Street Zen lowered Nektar Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 16th. HC Wainwright boosted their price target on Nektar Therapeutics from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $102.00 price target for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Nektar Therapeutics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $111.83.

Insider Activity

In other Nektar Therapeutics news, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 2,207 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at $2,944,418.60. This represents a 3.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Mark Andrew Wilson sold 630 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.28, for a total transaction of $34,196.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 21,585 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,171,633.80. This trade represents a 2.84% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 3,994 shares of company stock worth $216,794. 5.25% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Nektar Therapeutics Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of NKTR stock opened at $36.92 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $750.95 million, a PE ratio of -4.63 and a beta of 1.31. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $49.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $44.45. Nektar Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $6.45 and a 52 week high of $66.92.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.85) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($2.85) by $1.00. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 456.53% and a negative net margin of 192.87%.The firm had revenue of $11.79 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.20 million. Equities research analysts expect that Nektar Therapeutics will post -0.72 EPS for the current fiscal 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.