Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Nektar Therapeutics Call Options (NASDAQ:NKTR)

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock investors bought 7,673 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 3,045% compared to the average volume of 244 call options.

Insider Transactions at Nektar Therapeutics

In other news, insider Jonathan Zalevsky sold 51,115 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $0.94, for a total transaction of $48,048.10. Following the sale, the insider now owns 326,904 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $307,289.76. This represents a 13.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 46,995 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.01, for a total transaction of $47,464.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,195,710 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,207,667.10. The trade was a 3.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 155,575 shares of company stock worth $149,878. 3.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nektar Therapeutics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NKTR. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Nektar Therapeutics by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 107,318 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $100,000 after acquiring an additional 11,681 shares in the last quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 42.4% in the 4th quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC now owns 50,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 14,895 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Nektar Therapeutics by 44.0% during the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 64,100 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 19,600 shares during the last quarter. Valence8 US LP acquired a new position in Nektar Therapeutics during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in Nektar Therapeutics by 50.0% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 91,470 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $119,000 after buying an additional 30,481 shares during the last quarter. 75.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on NKTR shares. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $6.50 target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Piper Sandler started coverage on Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, November 4th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $7.00 price objective for the company. Finally, B. Riley initiated coverage on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $4.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Nektar Therapeutics has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $4.08.

Nektar Therapeutics Trading Down 3.6 %

Shares of NKTR traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $0.68. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,372,813 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,319,271. Nektar Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $0.63 and a 12-month high of $1.93. The company's 50 day moving average is $0.95 and its 200 day moving average is $1.15.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.18) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.23) by $0.05. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 180.70% and a negative return on equity of 173.28%. The company had revenue of $24.12 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.54 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.19) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Nektar Therapeutics will post -0.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nektar Therapeutics Company Profile

Nektar Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on discovering and developing medicines in the field of immunotherapy in the United States and internationally. The company is developing rezpegaldesleukin, a cytokine Treg stimulant that is in phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus and ulcerative colitis, as well as phase 2b clinical trial to treat atopic dermatitis and psoriasis; and NKTR-255, an IL-15 receptor agonist, which is in phase 1 clinical trial to boost the immune system's natural ability to fight cancer.