Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $138.50

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $138.50.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group assumed coverage on Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $153.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, August 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $65.00 price objective for the company. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Friday. Wedbush decreased their target price on Nektar Therapeutics from $80.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $178.00 target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Friday, September 25th.

Nektar Therapeutics Stock Performance

NKTR opened at $43.58 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.50 and a beta of 1.26. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $69.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $71.05. 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 analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.97) by $0.74. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 287.84% and a negative return on equity of 37.87%. The firm had revenue of $10.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.43 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Nektar Therapeutics will post -8.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting Nektar Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: New Phase 2b data showed durable responses in alopecia areata: 75% of responders maintained a SALT score of 20 or lower four months after treatment ended, while 63% maintained that response after six months. Hair regrowth also continued after treatment, with 19% of patients reaching a SALT score of 10 or lower. New Rezpegaldesleukin Data Supporting Long-term Durability and Disease Improvement
• Positive Sentiment: Nektar has expanded its Phase 3 ZENITH atopic dermatitis program into treatment-experienced patients and expects to begin the Phase 3 ZENITH alopecia areata study in early 2027, creating additional clinical catalysts.
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright reaffirmed its Buy rating and maintained a $185 price target, implying substantial upside based on its long-term valuation assumptions.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management and analysts discussed the REZPEG data and development strategy, while additional biomarker results indicated early molecular responses across immune pathways involved in atopic dermatitis.
• Negative Sentiment: The market reaction suggests investors view the new data as insufficient to remove concerns about REZPEG’s commercial opportunity, competitive positioning, or the time and risk involved in reaching approval. Nektar Therapeutics Downgrade to Hold
• Negative Sentiment: An analyst downgrade to Hold and reports describing a more-than-20% selloff show that investors are prioritizing near- to medium-term uncertainty over the positive durability results. Why Nektar Shares Fell Despite Promising Alopecia Results

Insider Transactions at Nektar Therapeutics

In related news, CEO Howard Robin sold 418 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $3,932,051.46. This represents a 0.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NKTR. KBC Group NV bought a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the first quarter valued at approximately $52,000. State of Wyoming bought a new position in Nektar Therapeutics in the 1st quarter worth approximately $67,000. Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new position in Nektar Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $206,000. Arrowpoint Investment Partners Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth about $208,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Nektar Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at about $209,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.88% of the company’s stock.

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.