UBS Group AG Boosts Stake in Nektar Therapeutics $NKTR

UBS Group AG boosted its position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) by 216.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 287,561 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 196,739 shares during the period. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Nektar Therapeutics were worth $12,158,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd raised its stake in Nektar Therapeutics by 51.3% during the fourth quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 2,541 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 862 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC raised its stake in Nektar Therapeutics by 70.6% during the third quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 2,602 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 1,077 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake 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 worth $90,000 after purchasing an additional 1,480 shares during the period. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Nektar Therapeutics during the third quarter worth about $88,000. 75.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nektar Therapeutics

In other Nektar Therapeutics news, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 423 shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.00, for a total transaction of $30,879.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,489 shares in the company, valued at $5,510,697. This trade represents a 0.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on NKTR shares. HC Wainwright lifted their target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Wedbush reduced their target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics from $95.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Nektar Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $149.63.

Nektar Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NKTR opened at $70.62 on Friday. Nektar Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $7.99 and a 1-year high of $109.00. The stock has a market cap of $2.39 billion, a PE ratio of -8.39 and a beta of 1.24. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $78.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $61.60.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.82) earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $10.86 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.69 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Nektar Therapeutics will post -9.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Nektar Therapeutics 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.