Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at TD Cowen

TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm issued a buy rating on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Citigroup raised their target price on Nektar Therapeutics from $102.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. BTIG Research upped their price target on Nektar Therapeutics from $118.00 to $151.00 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 report on Monday, February 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Friday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $136.43.

Nektar Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NKTR opened at $75.06 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.53 billion, a PE ratio of -7.36 and a beta of 1.17. Nektar Therapeutics has a one year low of $6.45 and a one year high of $77.00. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $54.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.02.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.78) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($2.69) by $0.91. The company had revenue of $21.81 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.44 million. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 386.16% and a negative net margin of 297.07%. Analysts anticipate that Nektar Therapeutics will post -0.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Nektar Therapeutics

In other news, insider Jonathan Zalevsky sold 3,867 shares of the business’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 transaction of $137,935.89. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 21,354 shares in the company, valued at approximately $761,697.18. The trade was a 15.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 owned 75,489 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,510,697. The trade was a 0.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,470 shares of company stock valued at $181,955. Insiders own 3.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nektar Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Seven Fleet Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $634,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at about $584,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Nektar Therapeutics by 106.3% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 468,159 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $19,794,000 after acquiring an additional 241,262 shares during the period. Creek Drive Management Group LLC bought a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at about $7,843,000. Finally, KVP Capital Advisors LP acquired a new position in Nektar Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth about $1,137,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.88% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Nektar Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price-target increases are supporting the stock — Citigroup raised its price target to $123 (buy) and TD Cowen initiated/maintained Buy ratings; H.C. Wainwright and others highlight Rezpeg clinical momentum and a healthy cash runway as bullish fundamentals. Analyst Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street consensus shows a large upside (Zacks reports ~77% average upside from current levels), which can attract momentum buying and institutional interest given recent positive clinical/financial cues. Zacks Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Procedural deadlines for plaintiffs are approaching (May 5, 2026) as multiple firms remind shareholders to seek lead-plaintiff status — this is administrative but important for the litigation timeline. Lead Plaintiff Deadline
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple class-action lawsuits have been filed alleging securities law violations covering Feb. 26, 2025–Dec. 15, 2025; Pomerantz has filed a suit and several national firms (Rosen, Schall, Bernstein Liebhard, Bronstein, Faruqi, etc.) are soliciting claims, creating a legal overhang and potential future liability or settlement risk. Pomerantz Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Numerous law-firm notices and local press pieces amplify investor awareness of the suits (increasing the chances of larger participation and media scrutiny), which can weigh on sentiment until litigation clarity emerges. AP / Local Coverage

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.