Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.18) by $0.33, Zacks reports. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 173.28% and a negative net margin of 180.70%.

Nektar Therapeutics Stock Performance

NKTR stock traded up $0.00 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $0.82. 1,670,182 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,852,133. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $0.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1.09. Nektar Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $0.65 and a 12 month high of $1.93. The company has a market capitalization of $151.26 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.98 and a beta of 0.65.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Mark Andrew Wilson sold 33,402 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $0.90, for a total transaction of $30,061.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 351,892 shares in the company, valued at $316,702.80. The trade was a 8.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 46,995 shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.01, for a total transaction of $47,464.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,195,710 shares in the company, valued at $1,207,667.10. This represents a 3.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 165,586 shares of company stock worth $159,990. 3.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. William Blair reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. B. Riley assumed coverage on Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $4.00 price objective for the company. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $6.50 target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Nektar Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $4.70.

About Nektar Therapeutics

Nektar Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on discovering and developing medicines in the field of immunotherapy in the United States and internationally. The company is developing rezpegaldesleukin, a cytokine Treg stimulant that is in phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus and ulcerative colitis, as well as phase 2b clinical trial to treat atopic dermatitis and psoriasis; and NKTR-255, an IL-15 receptor agonist, which is in phase 1 clinical trial to boost the immune system's natural ability to fight cancer.