Simplify Asset Management Inc. Purchases 35,176 Shares of Nektar Therapeutics $NKTR

Simplify Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) by 67.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 87,174 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 35,176 shares during the period. Simplify Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Nektar Therapeutics were worth $4,960,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 7,301,734 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $4,961,000 after buying an additional 100,645 shares during the last quarter. Almitas Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Nektar Therapeutics by 401.1% during the first quarter. Almitas Capital LLC now owns 4,610,872 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,135,000 after acquiring an additional 3,690,647 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Nektar Therapeutics by 336.9% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,640,851 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,463,000 after acquiring an additional 2,807,595 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its position in Nektar Therapeutics by 14.5% in the first quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 3,007,928 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,045,000 after purchasing an additional 380,967 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC grew its stake in Nektar Therapeutics by 2,435.4% in the 1st quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 557,222 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 535,244 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on NKTR. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. BTIG Research raised their price objective on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $100.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. B. Riley raised their price target on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $85.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Nektar Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, November 16th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Nektar Therapeutics presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $111.83.

Insider Transactions at Nektar Therapeutics

In other Nektar Therapeutics news, insider Mark Andrew Wilson sold 630 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 21,585 shares in the company, valued at $1,171,633.80. This trade represents a 2.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 2,207 shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.28, for a total value of $119,795.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 54,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,944,418.60. The trade was a 3.91% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 3,994 shares of company stock valued at $216,794 over the last three months. Company insiders own 3.71% of the company’s stock.

Nektar Therapeutics Stock Down 4.0%

NKTR opened at $42.73 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $55.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $42.08. Nektar Therapeutics has a twelve month low of $6.45 and a twelve month high of $66.92. The company has a market capitalization of $869.13 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.36 and a beta of 1.27.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.85) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($2.85) by $1.00. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 192.87% and a negative return on equity of 456.53%. The company had revenue of $11.79 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.20 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Nektar Therapeutics will post -0.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.