Nektar Therapeutics’ (NKTR) Buy Rating Reiterated at HC Wainwright

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by investment analysts at HC Wainwright in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $185.00 target price on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock. HC Wainwright’s price target points to a potential upside of 319.11% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Friday, August 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $65.00 price objective on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group started coverage on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $153.00 target price for the company. Wedbush decreased their target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $80.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. TD Cowen raised shares of Nektar Therapeutics to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Friday, August 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.50.

Nektar Therapeutics Trading Down 6.1%

NKTR traded down $2.85 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $44.14. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,149,367 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,078,148. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.60 and a beta of 1.26. Nektar Therapeutics has a 1 year low of $33.40 and a 1 year high of $109.00. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $70.09 and its 200-day moving average is $71.25.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.23) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Nektar Therapeutics will post -8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nektar Therapeutics

In other news, CEO Howard Robin sold 418 shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.98, for a total transaction of $30,087.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 54,627 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,932,051.46. The trade was a 0.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 Investors Weigh In On Nektar Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. KBC Group NV purchased a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics during the 1st quarter worth about $52,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC grew its holdings in Nektar Therapeutics by 15.8% in the 2nd quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 5,500 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $383,000 after buying an additional 750 shares during the period. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at about $67,000. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in Nektar Therapeutics by 27.3% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 8,477 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $592,000 after acquiring an additional 1,816 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in Nektar Therapeutics by 32.5% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 10,729 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $771,000 after acquiring an additional 2,629 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.88% of the company’s stock.

Nektar Therapeutics News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Long-term Phase 2b results showed that rezpegaldesleukin’s benefits may persist after treatment ends. In alopecia areata, 75% of responding patients maintained a SALT score of 20 or below four months off treatment, while 63% maintained that response at six months. Hair regrowth also continued after treatment, with 19% reaching a SALT score of 10 or below. New Rezpegaldesleukin Data Supporting Long-term Durability and Disease Improvement
• Positive Sentiment: Nektar is advancing the program toward pivotal testing: a third Phase 3 ZENITH trial in treatment-experienced atopic dermatitis has begun, and the Phase 3 ZENITH alopecia areata study is expected to start in early 2027. Nektar Reports Durable Rezpegaldesleukin Data
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright reaffirmed its “buy” rating and assigned a $185 price target, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. This is an analyst forecast, not a guarantee of performance.
• Neutral Sentiment: New biomarker findings indicated early effects across multiple immune pathways in atopic dermatitis, potentially supporting rezpegaldesleukin’s differentiated Treg-based mechanism. New Biomarker Data Presented at EADV Congress 2026
• Negative Sentiment: The positive dermatology update did not immediately translate into a stronger stock reaction. Investors may be demanding clearer pivotal-trial evidence and a nearer-term commercial path, since the reported results are still Phase 2b data and Phase 3 readouts remain outstanding. Nektar Drops After New Mid-Stage Data

Nektar Therapeutics Company Profile

Nektar Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing medicines that use the body’s immune system to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases. The company’s research programs are based on proprietary drug-design and immunology technologies intended to improve the activity, targeting, or dosing of therapeutic agents.

Nektar’s pipeline has included NKTR-255, an investigational interleukin-15 receptor agonist designed to activate natural killer cells and support antitumor immune responses.