Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $4.73 Million Stock Position in Nektar Therapeutics $NKTR

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) by 63.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 111,900 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 191,300 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Nektar Therapeutics were worth $4,731,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 93.8% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 434 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd grew its position in Nektar Therapeutics by 51.3% in the 4th quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 2,541 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 862 shares in the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC boosted its stake in Nektar Therapeutics by 70.6% in the third quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 2,602 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $148,000 after acquiring an additional 1,077 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Nektar Therapeutics by 1,741.2% in the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,565 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $90,000 after acquiring an additional 1,480 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Nektar Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at about $88,000. 75.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NKTR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $123.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Friday, March 13th. HC Wainwright increased their price target on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Nektar Therapeutics presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $149.63.

Nektar Therapeutics Price Performance

NKTR stock opened at $66.61 on Tuesday. Nektar Therapeutics has a 1 year low of $7.99 and a 1 year high of $109.00. The company has a market cap of $2.25 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.91 and a beta of 1.24. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $77.90 and a 200 day moving average of $61.90.

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

Insider Transactions at Nektar Therapeutics

In related news, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 444 shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.51, for a total transaction of $29,086.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,916,197.95. This trade represents a 0.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Nektar Therapeutics Company Profile

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.