Hudson Bay Capital Management LP Acquires Shares of 107,678 Nektar Therapeutics $NKTR

Hudson Bay Capital Management LP bought a new position in Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 107,678 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,127,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings 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 valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $65,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the first quarter worth $68,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at $88,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in Nektar Therapeutics by 1,741.2% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,565 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 1,480 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Nektar Therapeutics

In other news, insider Jonathan Zalevsky sold 3,867 shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 423 shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total transaction 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,470 shares of company stock valued at $181,955. Corporate insiders own 5.25% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Nektar Therapeutics

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 Price Performance

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

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.78) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($2.69) by $0.91. The company had revenue of $21.81 million during 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Nektar Therapeutics will post -0.72 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on NKTR. William Blair raised Nektar Therapeutics from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Nektar Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective (up from $105.00) on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $118.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $136.43.

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.