Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the five analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $1.50.

Separately, Rodman & Renshaw initiated coverage on Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $2.00 price target for the company.

Nektar Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ NKTR opened at $1.31 on Wednesday. Nektar Therapeutics has a one year low of $0.41 and a one year high of $1.93. The company has a market capitalization of $241.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.42 and a beta of 0.60. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $1.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1.27.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.25) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.21) by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $23.49 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.24 million. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 190.09% and a negative return on equity of 133.64%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.27) earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Nektar Therapeutics will post -0.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Nektar Therapeutics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Nektar Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $56,000. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics in the first quarter worth $63,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 63.0% during the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 73,352 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 28,338 shares during the period. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $99,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.88% of the company’s stock.

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.