Wedbush Cuts Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) Price Target to $50.00

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Sep 26th, 2026

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR – Free Report) had its price objective decreased by Wedbush from $80.00 to $50.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. Wedbush currently has a neutral rating on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $178.00 price target on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Friday, August 21st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $65.00 price objective for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group initiated coverage on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $153.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Friday, August 28th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded Nektar Therapeutics to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Nektar Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.50.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on NKTR

Nektar Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NKTR opened at $57.06 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $70.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.67. Nektar Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $33.40 and a fifty-two week high of $109.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.52 and a beta of 1.14.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.97) by $0.74. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 37.87% and a negative net margin of 287.84%.The company had revenue of $10.13 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.43 million. Research analysts expect that Nektar Therapeutics will post -8.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Nektar Therapeutics news, insider Jonathan Zalevsky sold 5,681 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total value of $397,670.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,756 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $682,920. The trade was a 36.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 418 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.98, for a total transaction of $30,087.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 54,627 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,932,051.46. This represents a 0.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,285 shares of company stock worth $441,146. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Nektar Therapeutics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. KBC Group NV acquired a new stake in shares of Nektar Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at $52,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the first quarter valued at $67,000. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at $206,000. Arrowpoint Investment Partners Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in Nektar Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at about $208,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new position in Nektar Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at about $209,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.88% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Nektar Therapeutics

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

Positive Sentiment: A U.S. jury found that Eli Lilly breached its implied covenant of good faith in connection with the rezpegaldesleukin collaboration, awarding Nektar approximately $90 million. The award could provide a meaningful cash benefit for Nektar, although potential appeals and collection timing remain considerations. Reuters article
Positive Sentiment: BTIG reaffirmed its Buy rating and set a $178 price target, signaling substantial confidence in Nektar’s pipeline and potential upside following the legal verdict. Benzinga article

Nektar Therapeutics Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Nektar Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing medicines that harness the body’s immune system to treat cancer and autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The company’s research is centered on cytokine biology, immune-cell regulation and its proprietary polymer-conjugation technologies, which are designed to modify therapeutic compounds and potentially improve their duration, delivery or tolerability.

Nektar’s pipeline has included investigational therapies such as rezpegaldesleukin, an immune-modulating treatment being studied for autoimmune and inflammatory conditions.