Key Points
- Insider sale: Jonathan Zalevsky sold 180 shares on Feb 18 at $73 each for $13,140, reducing his stake to 21,174 shares (a 0.84% ownership decrease), and he previously sold 3,867 shares on Jan 20 and 1,157 shares on Nov 25, indicating notable recent insider selling.
- Shares trade around $73.73—near the one‑year high of $74.89—with a market cap of about $1.5 billion and 50/200‑day averages of $45.81/$48.36, reflecting a significant run‑up in price.
- Analyst and pipeline outlook is mixed-to-positive: MarketBeat shows a consensus Moderate Buy with a $119.86 average target and several firms raising price targets (HC Wainwright to $165, BTIG to $151), while a new UCSF collaboration and improved multi‑year EPS forecasts are offset by trimmed near‑term Q2 estimates.
Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR - Get Free Report) insider Jonathan Zalevsky sold 180 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total value of $13,140.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 21,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,545,702. This represents a 0.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.
Jonathan Zalevsky also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Tuesday, January 20th, Jonathan Zalevsky sold 3,867 shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.67, for a total transaction of $137,935.89.
- On Tuesday, November 25th, Jonathan Zalevsky sold 1,157 shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.28, for a total transaction of $62,801.96.
Nektar Therapeutics Stock Performance
Shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $73.73. The company's stock had a trading volume of 997,867 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,533,099. Nektar Therapeutics has a one year low of $6.45 and a one year high of $74.89. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $45.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.36. The stock has a market cap of $1.50 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.25 and a beta of 1.34.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several brokerages recently issued reports on NKTR. HC Wainwright raised their price target on Nektar Therapeutics from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and set a $105.00 price target on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $102.00 target price for the company. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their price target on Nektar Therapeutics from $118.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Nektar Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $119.86.
Check Out Our Latest Report on Nektar Therapeutics
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nektar Therapeutics
Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $2,463,000 after buying an additional 2,807,595 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at about $68,000. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 23.3% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 221,761 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $151,000 after purchasing an additional 41,948 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Moody Aldrich Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,173,000. 75.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Key Stories Impacting Nektar Therapeutics
Here are the key news stories impacting Nektar Therapeutics this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple multi‑quarter and full‑year EPS projections (FY2026 and FY2027 were revised to smaller losses), indicating improved analyst expectations for Nektar’s future results — a generally constructive signal for the stock. MarketBeat NKTR
- Positive Sentiment: Nektar announced research collaboration with UCSF to test a TNFR2‑agonist/antibody approach in multiple sclerosis — a meaningful pipeline development that could add long‑term value if clinical data are positive. MSNewsToday: UCSF, Nektar team BioWorld: TNFR2 agonism in MS
- Neutral Sentiment: An AAII piece compared Nektar to another biotech (Harmony Biosciences) as an investment choice — useful context for longer‑term investors but unlikely to move the stock materially on its own. AAII comparison article
- Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut near‑term quarter estimates for Q2 2026 (and separately trimmed Q2 2027), signaling some expected near‑term pressure to results that can weigh on sentiment. MarketBeat NKTR
Nektar Therapeutics Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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