Monday’s Insider Moves: Prairie Operating Owner Leads Buying Spree

Investing.com -- Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) stock fell 5% Tuesday after the company’s Phase 2b trial of rezpegaldesleukin for alopecia areata narrowly missed its primary endpoint, despite showing a treatment effect that was more than double that of placebo.

The trial’s primary endpoint of mean percentage reduction in Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score at 36 weeks showed a 28.2% reduction in the 24 µg/kg arm versus 11.2% in placebo, falling short of statistical significance (p=0.186). The 18 µg/kg arm showed a 30.3% reduction (p=0.121).

Nektar noted that when excluding four patients with major study eligibility violations, both treatment arms achieved statistical significance, with the 24 µg/kg dose showing a 29.6% reduction (p=0.049) and the 18 µg/kg dose showing a 30.4% reduction (p=0.042) compared to 5.7% for placebo.

The company reported that rezpegaldesleukin was well-tolerated, with most treatment-emergent adverse events being mild to moderate and self-resolving. The discontinuation rate due to adverse events was only 1.4% in the combined treatment arms.

Despite missing the primary endpoint in the full analysis, Nektar plans to advance rezpegaldesleukin to Phase 3 development for alopecia areata, leveraging its existing Fast Track designation.

"These study results demonstrate that treatment with rezpegaldesleukin can lead to meaningful hair regrowth in patients with alopecia areata, including eyebrow and eyelash growth," said Dr. David Rosmarin, Chair of the Department of Dermatology at Indiana University School of Medicine.

The company will present full results from the REZOLVE-AA trial at a medical conference in 2026, with additional data from the 16-week treatment extension expected in early Q2 2026.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Investing.com -- SRx Health Solutions Inc (NYSE:SRXH) stock surged 199.8% in premarket trading Tuesday after the company announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire EMJ Crypto Technologies, a digital-asset treasury platform.

The acquisition marks a significant pivot for SRx Health, moving the company into the digital asset management space. Upon completion of the transaction, Eric M. Jackson, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of EMJX, is expected to serve as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the combined company.

EMJX is described as a "Gen2" digital-asset treasury platform that applies quantitative models, artificial intelligence, and systematic risk controls to multi-asset digital treasury management. Unlike "Gen1" treasury models that primarily hold a single digital asset passively, EMJX’s approach is designed to manage risk across market cycles through multi-asset holdings, AI-informed decision-making, and systematic risk management.

The platform is powered by EMJX’s proprietary Quantitative AI and Machine Learning Engine, which has been in development since 2021. This system is designed to analyze market conditions and inform portfolio-level risk-management decisions across multiple digital assets.

Jackson has gained prominence in retail investing circles, having identified several non-consensus market opportunities that later experienced significant gains, including Carvana, Opendoor, Better Home & Finance, and Nextdoor. His work with Opendoor helped build a large retail investor community known as the "OPEN Army."

The transaction has been unanimously approved by SRx Health’s Board of Directors and is expected to close during the first quarter of 2026, subject to shareholder approval and other customary conditions. Following completion, the combined company plans to operate under the EMJX name and intends to pursue a ticker symbol change.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Investing.com -- Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX) stock rose 2.4% in Tuesday’s premarket trading after the company announced it has acquired royalty rights to two promising cancer therapies from an undisclosed third party.

The company is purchasing a pre-existing low-single digit royalty interest in Nuvalent’s neladalkib and zidesamtinib for up to $315 million. Both drugs are next-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) designed to treat specific mutations of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Neladalkib, which targets ALK mutation-positive NSCLC, showed positive pivotal results in TKI pre-treated patients in November 2025, demonstrating durable activity and a generally well-tolerated safety profile. The drug is also being evaluated in an ongoing Phase 3 study for TKI-naïve patients.

Zidesamtinib, developed for ROS1 mutation-positive NSCLC, is currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration with an action date of September 18, 2026, for TKI pre-treated patients. It is also being assessed in an ongoing Phase 1/2 study in TKI-naïve patients.

According to existing analyst consensus, neladalkib sales are projected to reach approximately $3.5 billion by 2035, while zidesamtinib sales are expected to hit around $1.9 billion in the same timeframe.

The royalty rights Royalty Pharma has acquired are expected to extend through approximately 2041 to 2042 for both therapies, providing the company with a long-term revenue stream from these potential cancer treatments.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Investing.com -- U.S. stock futures slipped lower Tuesday after investors digested mixed labor market data, seeking guidance about the Federal Reserve’s interest rate path in the new year. 

At 08:45 ET (13:45 GMT), Dow Jones Futures fell 20 points, or 0.1%, S&P 500 Futures dropped 6 points, or 0.1%, and Nasdaq 100 Futures slipped 45 points, or 0.2%.  

The main averages on Wall Street declined in the previous session, with the tech sector declining the hardest on lingering concerns over the sustainability of the artificial intelligence boom after underwhelming recent quarterly reports from AI-exposed groups Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) and Oracle (NYSE:ORCL).

Unemployment rate jumped in November 

Nonfarm payrolls increased 64,000 in November, slightly above the 50,000 expected, after the print was delayed due to disruptions caused by a government shutdown in October and early-November. 

However, the unemployment rate jumped to 4.6%, up from 4.4% in September, after the shutdown resulted in the October figure being abandoned. 

The payrolls print comes just days before CPI data for November, which will also be closely scrutinized by markets.

Labor strength and inflation are the Federal Reserve’s two main considerations for cutting interest rates, with the central bank having flagged a data-driven approach to further easing after cutting interest rates last week. 

Comments from New York Fed President John Williams on Monday reiterated the Fed’s data-driven stance. 

Markets are also focused on who will become the Fed’s next Chair, with reports stating that U.S. President Donald Trump had narrowed his shortlist for Jerome Powell’s successor to former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh and National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett. 

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Lennar headlines earnings list 

The earnings season is gradually coming to a close, but results from homebuilder Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN) are due after the close of U.S. markets.

The firm posted a 46% slip in profit in the third quarter, weighed down by sticky inflation which has dented the affordability of the American housing market. 

Elsewhere, major exchange Nasdaq is seeking approval from U.S. securities authorities to extend trading hours on its stock venues to 23 hours during the work week, according to Bloomberg News.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday, Nasdaq asked for permission to tack on an additional trading session which would last from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. ET.

Crude retreats further 

Oil prices slumped as raised prospects for a Russia-Ukraine peace deal lifted the potential of an easing of sanctions.

Brent futures last dropped 1.6% to $59.59 a barrel, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 1.7% to $55.72 a barrel.

U.S. officials have flagged some progress in the Russia-Ukraine peace talks, with Kyiv offering to drop its aspirations to join the NATO military alliance, a major point of contention for Russia, while Washington offered Ukraine security guarantees.

But a deal on territorial concessions, a highly sensitive topic for Ukraine, remained elusive.

A peace deal could result in U.S. sanctions on Russian oil companies being lifted, adding to an already well supplied market.

Ambar Warrick contributed to his article

Investing.com -- Vital Farms Inc (NASDAQ:VITL) stock dropped 8.1% in premarket trading Tuesday after the ethical food producer lowered its fiscal 2025 revenue outlook due to disruptions from an ERP system transition.

The company now expects net revenue of $755 million to $765 million for fiscal 2025, reflecting temporary disruption in order patterns following its enterprise resource planning system implementation at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Despite the revenue adjustment, Vital Farms maintained its adjusted EBITDA outlook of more than $115 million for the year, citing disciplined expense management.

The company also provided its initial 2026 revenue outlook of $930 million to $950 million, representing approximately 24% YoY growth at the midpoint of guidance ranges.

Vital Farms announced long-term financial targets, including plans to reach $2 billion in annual revenue by 2030 in its current categories, with gross margins of 35+% between 2025 and 2030, and adjusted EBITDA margins between 15% and 17% by 2030.

"We see a clear multi-year path toward $2 billion in Net Revenue by 2030 and 15% to 17% adjusted EBITDA margins by 2030, with Gross Margins of 35+% between 2025 and 2030," said Russell Diez-Canseco, Vital Farms’ President and CEO.

The company also revealed that its new processing facility in Seymour, Indiana will be named Vital Crossroads (VXR), expected to be operational in 2027. The facility is described as a "critical unlock" for achieving the company’s new long-term targets.

Vital Farms completed the "hypercare" phase of its ERP transition on December 5, marking a return to normal operations with the new IT system.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.