Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on NKTR. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, March 13th. BTIG Research lifted their price objective on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $118.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. HC Wainwright raised their target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. B. Riley Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective (up from $105.00) on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $102.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $136.43.

Nektar Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NKTR opened at $72.22 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.08 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50-day moving average of $56.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $54.59. Nektar Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $6.45 and a fifty-two week high of $77.00.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.78) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $21.81 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.44 million. As a group, research analysts expect that Nektar Therapeutics will post -0.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Nektar Therapeutics news, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 423 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total value of $30,879.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,489 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,510,697. This represents a 0.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan Zalevsky sold 3,867 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.67, for a total value of $137,935.89. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 21,354 shares in the company, valued at $761,697.18. The trade was a 15.33% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,470 shares of company stock valued at $181,955. 5.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nektar Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NKTR. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Nektar Therapeutics by 336.9% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,640,851 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,463,000 after acquiring an additional 2,807,595 shares during the last quarter. BVF Inc. IL raised its position in Nektar Therapeutics by 22.2% during the 4th quarter. BVF Inc. IL now owns 1,559,595 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $65,940,000 after purchasing an additional 283,000 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 30.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 948,647 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $53,978,000 after purchasing an additional 219,155 shares in the last quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Nektar Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at about $45,008,000. Finally, Two Seas Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth $31,506,000. Institutional investors own 75.88% of the company’s stock.

Key Nektar Therapeutics News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rezpegaldesleukin Phase 2b data accepted for two oral presentations at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology meeting — raises scientific visibility for NKTR’s lead autoimmune program and could boost investor confidence if the presented data look favorable. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Broker consensus/price-target commentary is above current levels (reported average target ~$133), indicating upside in analyst models even as short-term uncertainty persists. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright issued mixed estimate revisions (cut some near-term FY2026/FY2027 EPS estimates but raised other quarter/year figures and kept a Buy rating with a $165 target) — suggests analysts are reworking timelines rather than abandoning the bull case.
• Neutral Sentiment: TD Cowen initiated coverage (coverage initiation can increase attention/liquidity; read the initiation note for stance and target). Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Media commentary lists Nektar as a potential acquisition candidate — positive if it fuels takeover speculation, but purely speculative until firm bids surface. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple securities class-action lawsuits have been filed and several law firms are soliciting lead plaintiffs (class period generally Feb 26, 2025 – Dec 15, 2025); a May 5, 2026 lead-plaintiff deadline is being emphasized — this legal uncertainty creates near-term downside risk and can pressure valuation. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Investor alerts highlight alleged issues around clinical enrollment/compliance for REZOLVE‑AA — if regulators or trial monitors identify problems, that could materially delay programs and hurt sentiment. Article Title

Nektar Therapeutics Company 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.