Q3 EPS Forecast for Nektar Therapeutics Boosted by Analyst

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report issued on Monday, February 9th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the biopharmaceutical company will post earnings per share of ($2.70) for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of ($2.92). The consensus estimate for Nektar Therapeutics’ current full-year earnings is ($0.72) per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Nektar Therapeutics’ Q4 2026 earnings at ($4.13) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($11.98) EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at ($3.18) EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at ($3.23) EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at ($3.46) EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at ($5.48) EPS and FY2027 earnings at ($15.35) EPS.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, January 26th. William Blair upgraded Nektar Therapeutics from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Nektar Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $102.00 price objective on the stock. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $119.86.

Nektar Therapeutics Trading Up 51.1%

NKTR stock opened at $56.00 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $43.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.96. Nektar Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $6.45 and a 1-year high of $66.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.14 billion, a PE ratio of -7.03 and a beta of 1.34.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nektar Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NKTR. Arrowpoint Investment Partners Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $208,000. Cibc World Market Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $562,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 91.8% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 147,793 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $6,249,000 after acquiring an additional 70,738 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 48,355.8% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 210,298 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $8,891,000 after acquiring an additional 209,864 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Nektar Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,114,000. Institutional investors own 75.88% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Nektar Therapeutics news, insider Mark Andrew Wilson sold 630 shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.28, for a total value of $34,196.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 21,585 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,171,633.80. The trade was a 2.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan Zalevsky sold 3,867 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.67, for a total value of $137,935.89. Following the sale, the insider owned 21,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $761,697.18. The trade was a 15.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 7,861 shares of company stock worth $354,730 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.71% of the company’s stock.

Key Nektar Therapeutics News

Here are the key news stories impacting Nektar Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Phase 2b maintenance data show durable and new responses across key endpoints (EASI‑75, vIGA‑AD 0/1, increases in EASI‑100) for both monthly and quarterly dosing, supporting advancement to pivotal Phase 3 and validating the Treg mechanism — the core driver for the stock move. PR Newswire Release
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary and headlines highlight the data as beating expectations and creating significant upside scenarios (some Wall Street notes cite up to ~200% upside), amplifying buying momentum and media attention. MSN Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Company conference‑call/transcript coverage provides management commentary on 36‑week maintenance outcomes and plans, giving investors more visibility into the clinical path and timelines for a Phase 3 program. Seeking Alpha Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment turned bullish: BTIG and HC Wainwright raised price targets substantially and William Blair upgraded to outperform — these upgrades increase institutional interest and provide fresh coverage supporting the rally. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity (large call buying) and multiple premarket/momentum headlines signaled speculative & directional interest, often accelerating intraday moves. Tokenist
• Neutral Sentiment: Broad media coverage (Yahoo/Investing/MarketWatch/press release notifications) is amplifying awareness of the readout and potential Phase 3 plans; useful for liquidity and retail interest but not new clinical data. Yahoo Finance
• Negative Sentiment: Nektar launched a proposed $300M underwritten public offering of common stock (and pre‑funded warrants), which creates dilution risk; timing/size of the raise is a near‑term negative that could cap upside after the data-driven run. PR Newswire Offering Notice

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.