Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) Earns Neutral Rating from Analysts at Wedbush

Wedbush assumed coverage on shares of Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage issued a neutral rating and a $70.00 price objective on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on NKTR. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, January 26th. William Blair raised shares of Nektar Therapeutics from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price target (up from $105.00) on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $102.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, BTIG Research boosted their price objective on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $118.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.13.

Nektar Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NKTR opened at $70.97 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $59.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.68. Nektar Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $6.45 and a 52 week high of $77.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.04 billion, a PE ratio of -6.96 and a beta of 1.17.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.78) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $10.44 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Nektar Therapeutics will post -0.72 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Nektar Therapeutics

In related news, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 423 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total transaction of $30,879.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,489 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,510,697. The trade was a 0.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan Zalevsky sold 3,867 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were 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 approximately $761,697.18. This trade represents a 15.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 4,470 shares of company stock valued at $181,955 over the last quarter. 5.25% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nektar Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NKTR. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 93.8% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 434 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in 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 valued at about $68,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in Nektar Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at about $85,000. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Nektar Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at about $88,000. 75.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Nektar Therapeutics News Summary

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

• Neutral Sentiment: Wedbush initiated coverage of NKTR with a neutral recommendation — provides the stock with fresh analyst coverage but no bullish catalyst. Wedbush Begins Coverage of Nektar Therapeutics
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP filed a securities class action in the Northern District of California alleging violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) for purchases between Feb 26, 2025 and Dec 15, 2025 — a formal complaint raises litigation risk, potential damages and distraction for management. Pomerantz Class Action Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple investor‑rights firms (Bernstein Liebhard, Rosen, Levi & Korsinsky, Faruqi & Faruqi, Frank R. Cruz, etc.) issued alerts and reminders about lead‑plaintiff deadlines (May 5, 2026) and solicited class membership — the flood of notices amplifies market concern and could concentrate litigation outcomes. Bernstein Liebhard Shareholder Alert
• Negative Sentiment: Targeted investor alerts (e.g., SueWallSt, Levi & Korsinsky) specifically allege failures around clinical enrollment standards / REZOLVE‑AA enrollment compliance — if these allegations gain traction, they could harm Nektar’s clinical credibility and increase settlement or judgment risk. SueWallSt Investor Alert

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.