Nektar Therapeutics’ (NKTR) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at BTIG Research

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by equities research analysts at BTIG Research in a report released on Friday, September 25th, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $178.00 target price on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock. BTIG Research’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 297.87% from the company’s previous close.

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

Nektar Therapeutics Trading Down 4.8%

Nektar Therapeutics stock traded down $2.25 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $44.74. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,013,856 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,077,279. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $70.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.25. Nektar Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $33.40 and a 52 week high of $109.00. The stock has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a PE ratio of -6.65 and a beta of 1.26.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.97) by $0.74. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 37.87% and a negative net margin of 287.84%.The company had revenue of $10.13 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.43 million. As a group, research analysts predict that Nektar Therapeutics will post -8.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Nektar Therapeutics news, CEO Howard Robin sold 418 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.98, for a total value of $30,087.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 54,627 shares in the company, 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 SEC, 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 owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nektar Therapeutics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Two Seas Capital LP acquired a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,506,000. Armistice Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 122.4% during the fourth quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 596,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,199,000 after acquiring an additional 328,000 shares during the period. Sofinnova Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 270.4% in the fourth quarter. Sofinnova Investments Inc. now owns 438,630 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $18,545,000 after acquiring an additional 320,211 shares in the last quarter. BVF Inc. IL boosted its holdings in Nektar Therapeutics by 22.2% in the fourth quarter. BVF Inc. IL now owns 1,559,595 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $65,940,000 after purchasing an additional 283,000 shares during the period. Finally, Orbimed Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at about $19,786,000. 75.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Nektar Therapeutics News

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.