Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eight analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $111.8333.

Several research firms recently issued reports on NKTR. BTIG Research upped their price objective on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $100.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. HC Wainwright upped their price target on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Nektar Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 16th. Citigroup began coverage on Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $102.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, December 29th.

Nektar Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NKTR stock opened at $37.11 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $48.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.49. Nektar Therapeutics has a twelve month low of $6.45 and a twelve month high of $66.92. The company has a market capitalization of $754.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.66 and a beta of 1.31.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.85) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $10.20 million. On average, analysts forecast that Nektar Therapeutics will post -0.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Nektar Therapeutics

In related news, insider Mark Andrew Wilson sold 630 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider owned 21,585 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,171,633.80. The trade was a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan Zalevsky sold 3,867 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.67, for a total transaction of $137,935.89. Following the transaction, the insider owned 21,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $761,697.18. The trade was a 15.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 7,861 shares of company stock worth $354,730 over the last three months. 5.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 93.8% during the third 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 during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in Nektar Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at about $39,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Nektar Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at about $65,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Nektar Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $68,000. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $88,000. 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.