Nektar Therapeutics Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:NKTR)

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Investors bought 2,351 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 245% compared to the typical volume of 681 call options.

Nektar Therapeutics Trading Down 2.2 %

NKTR stock traded down $0.02 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $0.67. 798,828 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,888,158. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $0.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $123.76 million, a PE ratio of -0.78 and a beta of 0.65. Nektar Therapeutics has a twelve month low of $0.65 and a twelve month high of $1.93.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 12th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.18) by $0.33. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 173.28% and a negative net margin of 180.70%. The business had revenue of $29.18 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.65 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Nektar Therapeutics will post -0.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on NKTR. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $6.50 target price on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Oppenheimer upgraded Nektar Therapeutics from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $6.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, March 14th. B. Riley initiated coverage on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $4.00 price objective for the company. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, March 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $4.92.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nektar Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nantahala Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 90.0% during the fourth quarter. Nantahala Capital Management LLC now owns 7,810,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $7,263,000 after purchasing an additional 3,700,000 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP grew its position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 187.3% during the 4th quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 4,974,512 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $4,626,000 after buying an additional 3,242,841 shares during the last quarter. Altium Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Nektar Therapeutics by 26,172.0% during the 4th quarter. Altium Capital Management LLC now owns 3,000,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,790,000 after buying an additional 2,988,581 shares during the last quarter. 22NW LP acquired a new stake in Nektar Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $2,038,000. Finally, Eventide Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Nektar Therapeutics by 24.8% in the third quarter. Eventide Asset Management LLC now owns 9,400,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $12,220,000 after acquiring an additional 1,870,904 shares during the last quarter. 75.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.