Research Analysts Set Expectations for NKTR Q2 Earnings

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) – Research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q2 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a note issued to investors on Thursday, May 28th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the biopharmaceutical company will post earnings per share of ($2.47) for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of ($2.87). The consensus estimate for Nektar Therapeutics’ current full-year earnings is ($9.45) per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Nektar Therapeutics’ Q3 2026 earnings at ($3.05) EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at ($3.26) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($10.59) EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at ($3.41) EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at ($2.79) EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at ($3.45) EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at ($3.63) EPS, FY2027 earnings at ($13.28) EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at ($3.80) EPS and FY2028 earnings at ($14.02) EPS.

Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.82) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.58) by ($0.24). The business had revenue of $10.86 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.69 million. Nektar Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 284.18% and a negative return on equity of 85.40%.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Nektar Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 17th. William Blair upgraded Nektar Therapeutics from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Nektar Therapeutics from $105.00 to $192.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Nektar Therapeutics from $123.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of Nektar Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.63.

Nektar Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NKTR opened at $64.88 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $2.19 billion, a PE ratio of -7.71 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $77.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $62.16. Nektar Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $7.99 and a 12-month high of $109.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Howard W. Robin sold 444 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 75,045 shares in the company, valued at $4,916,197.95. The trade was a 0.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Nektar Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Nektar Therapeutics by 336.9% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,640,851 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,463,000 after buying an additional 2,807,595 shares during the last quarter. BVF Inc. IL increased its stake in Nektar Therapeutics by 22.2% in the 4th quarter. BVF Inc. IL now owns 1,559,595 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $65,940,000 after purchasing an additional 283,000 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Nektar Therapeutics by 30.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 948,647 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $53,978,000 after purchasing an additional 219,155 shares during the period. Farallon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Nektar Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $45,008,000. Finally, Two Seas Capital LP purchased a new position in Nektar Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,506,000. Institutional investors own 75.88% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Nektar Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to a smaller loss of $10.59 per share from $12.25, which is a modest improvement in expected profitability. Nektar Therapeutics stock information
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also lifted its Q2 2027 EPS estimate to a smaller loss of $2.79 per share from $3.06, indicating slightly better expectations for that period. Nektar Therapeutics stock information
• Positive Sentiment: FY2028 EPS estimates were also improved to a smaller loss of $14.02 per share from $13.82, suggesting some longer-term stabilization in projections. Nektar Therapeutics stock information
• Neutral Sentiment: Some forecasts were left unchanged or only slightly adjusted, including consensus full-year earnings of $9.65 per share in the loss-per-share format reported by Zacks, which keeps the outlook mixed overall.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut its Q1 2028 EPS estimate to a larger loss of $3.80 per share from $3.45, signaling weaker expectations further out. Nektar Therapeutics stock information
• Negative Sentiment: Estimates for Q4 2027 were also reduced to a larger loss of $3.63 per share from $2.96, another negative revision for future profitability. Nektar Therapeutics stock information
• Negative Sentiment: Q3 2027 EPS estimates were lowered to a larger loss of $3.45 per share from $2.88, while Q1 2027 was cut to a larger loss of $3.41 per share from $3.16, reinforcing the downbeat outlook. Nektar Therapeutics stock information
• Negative Sentiment: Q3 2026 and Q1 2028 estimates were also trimmed, and the repeated downward revisions across several periods may be contributing to the stock’s weakness today. Nektar Therapeutics stock information

About Nektar Therapeutics

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.