Wall Street Zen Upgrades Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) to Hold

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $102.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target (up from $105.00) on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Monday, February 23rd. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $136.43.

Nektar Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock opened at $72.22 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.08 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $56.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $54.96. Nektar Therapeutics has a one year low of $6.45 and a one year high of $77.00.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.78) earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $10.44 million. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 386.16% and a negative net margin of 297.07%. Sell-side analysts predict that Nektar Therapeutics will post -0.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Nektar Therapeutics

In other Nektar Therapeutics news, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 423 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total value of $30,879.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan Zalevsky sold 3,867 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $761,697.18. This represents a 15.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 4,470 shares of company stock worth $181,955. 3.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Nektar Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Nektar Therapeutics by 336.9% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,640,851 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,463,000 after acquiring an additional 2,807,595 shares during the period. Farallon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Nektar Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,008,000. Two Seas Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,506,000. Prosight Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at about $23,450,000. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 446.9% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 434,237 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $24,708,000 after purchasing an additional 354,842 shares during the period. 75.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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

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.