Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) Stock Has Average Target Price of $130.67

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the sixteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $130.67.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on NKTR shares. Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $153.00 target price for the company. TD Cowen raised shares of Nektar Therapeutics to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, October 9th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Friday, August 28th. Finally, Leerink Partners assumed coverage on Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Monday, October 12th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $130.00 price objective for the company.

Nektar Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock opened at $38.87 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.80 and a beta of 1.26. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $55.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.50. Nektar Therapeutics has a twelve month low of $33.40 and a twelve month high of $109.00.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.23) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.97) by $0.74. The business had revenue of $10.13 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.43 million. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 287.84% and a negative return on equity of 37.87%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Nektar Therapeutics will post -8.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Nektar Therapeutics

In other Nektar Therapeutics news, CEO Howard Robin sold 418 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.98, for a total transaction of $30,087.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 54,627 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,932,051.46. The trade was a 0.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Nektar Therapeutics

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. KBC Group NV acquired a new position in Nektar Therapeutics during the 1st quarter worth approximately $52,000. State of Wyoming bought a new position in Nektar Therapeutics in the first quarter worth approximately $67,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Nektar Therapeutics by 507.2% in the third quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,099 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 918 shares in the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Nektar Therapeutics by 35.0% in the third quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,160 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $128,000 after acquiring an additional 560 shares during the period. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at approximately $206,000. 75.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Nektar Therapeutics Company Profile

Nektar Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing medicines for autoimmune, inflammatory and other serious diseases. The company uses its proprietary biologics and polymer-conjugation technologies to design therapies intended to improve immune-system regulation, drug activity and dosing convenience.

Nektar’s pipeline includes rezpegaldesleukin, an investigational treatment designed to expand regulatory T cells and potentially restore immune tolerance in conditions such as atopic dermatitis, alopecia areata and other autoimmune diseases.