HC Wainwright Issues Pessimistic Forecast for NKTR Earnings

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) – Equities researchers at HC Wainwright reduced their FY2028 earnings per share estimates for shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, February 10th. HC Wainwright analyst A. He now expects that the biopharmaceutical company will post earnings of ($11.28) per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of ($9.93). HC Wainwright has a “Buy” rating and a $165.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Nektar Therapeutics’ current full-year earnings is ($0.72) per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Nektar Therapeutics’ FY2029 earnings at ($10.83) EPS and FY2030 earnings at ($1.48) EPS.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on NKTR. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Nektar Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, November 16th. BTIG Research raised their target price on Nektar Therapeutics from $118.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. William Blair raised Nektar Therapeutics from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $119.86.

Nektar Therapeutics Stock Up 7.0%

Shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock opened at $71.00 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $43.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.44 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.91 and a beta of 1.34. Nektar Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $6.45 and a 52 week high of $72.31.

Institutional Trading of Nektar Therapeutics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 93.8% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 434 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $65,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Nektar Therapeutics in the 1st quarter worth about $68,000. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Nektar Therapeutics during the third quarter worth approximately $88,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Nektar Therapeutics

In related news, insider Jonathan Zalevsky sold 3,867 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.67, for a total transaction of $137,935.89. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 21,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $761,697.18. This trade represents a 15.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 2,207 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were 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 directly owned 54,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,944,418.60. The trade was a 3.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 7,861 shares of company stock worth $354,730 over the last quarter. 5.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Nektar Therapeutics News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Positive Phase 2b maintenance data for rezpegaldesleukin drove strong investor enthusiasm and was the primary catalyst for the recent rally; analysts are calling the results durable and market-moving. Nektar Stock Surges On Rezpegaldesleukin Phase 2b Maintenance Data: What It Means
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright raised its price target to $165 and reiterated a Buy, boosting sentiment and helping spark heavier trading. Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume Following Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks and other boutiques raised some near-term model assumptions/quarterly estimates after the data, which supports the view of improved near-term outlook for key skin & immunology programs. Nektar (NKTR) Soars 51.1%: Is Further Upside Left in the Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Shares gapped up and trading volume spiked as momentum traders and funds repositioned; volume surge signals heightened interest but also greater volatility. Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) Shares Gap Up Following Analyst Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader media coverage (MSN, Benzinga, TipRanks) amplified the story and brought more retail/institutional attention — a flow dynamic rather than a fundamental change. Nektar Therapeutics stock pops on $300M equity offering
• Negative Sentiment: Nektar priced an upsized $400M public offering (6.6M common shares + pre-funded warrants) — provides cash runway but increases share count and created short-term selling pressure. Nektar Therapeutics Announces Pricing of Upsized $400 Million Public Offering
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction to the offering included a pullback in some sessions and commentary noting the dilution; one report explicitly linked the offering to a stock drop. Nektar Therapeutics stock falls after $400 million public offering
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright also revised longer-term EPS forecasts materially lower for FY2028–29 in its modeling despite the price-target raise, highlighting increased uncertainty around multi-year profitability assumptions. NASDAQ: NKTR Marketbeat

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.