Leonteq Securities AG Invests $338,000 in Nektar Therapeutics $NKTR

Leonteq Securities AG bought a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 8,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $338,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in NKTR. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 2,807,595 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the first quarter worth approximately $68,000. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 23.3% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 221,761 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $151,000 after purchasing an additional 41,948 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in Nektar Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth $367,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Nektar Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth $65,000. Institutional investors own 75.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 444 shares of Nektar Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.51, for a total value of $29,086.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 75,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,916,197.95. This trade represents a 0.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Nektar Therapeutics Price Performance

Nektar Therapeutics stock opened at $66.61 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $77.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $61.81. Nektar Therapeutics has a one year low of $7.99 and a one year high of $109.00. The firm has a market cap of $2.25 billion, a PE ratio of -7.91 and a beta of 1.24.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on NKTR shares. Wedbush lowered their price objective on Nektar Therapeutics from $95.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, March 13th. TD Cowen started coverage on Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Nektar Therapeutics from $105.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, HC Wainwright raised their price objective on Nektar Therapeutics from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Nine equities 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 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 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.