Nektar Therapeutics $NKTR Shares Bought by UBS Group AG

UBS Group AG boosted its position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) by 216.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 287,561 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 196,739 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned approximately 1.41% of Nektar Therapeutics worth $12,158,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NKTR. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Nektar Therapeutics by 93.8% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 434 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Nektar Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at $65,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Nektar Therapeutics during the first quarter valued at $68,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Nektar Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at $88,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Nektar Therapeutics by 1,741.2% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,565 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 1,480 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.88% of the company’s stock.

Nektar Therapeutics Trading Down 5.0%

NASDAQ:NKTR opened at $70.62 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $78.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $61.60. The company has a market cap of $2.39 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.39 and a beta of 1.24. Nektar Therapeutics has a twelve month low of $7.99 and a twelve month high of $109.00.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.82) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.58) by ($0.24). The business had revenue of $10.86 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.69 million. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 85.40% and a negative net margin of 284.18%. On average, analysts expect that Nektar Therapeutics will post -9.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on NKTR. Wedbush decreased their price objective on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $95.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 11th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Friday, March 13th. HC Wainwright increased their price objective on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Nektar Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $123.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Nektar Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.63.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nektar Therapeutics

In other news, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 423 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total value of $30,879.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,489 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,510,697. This trade represents a 0.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

About Nektar Therapeutics

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.