Wall Street Zen Upgrades Protagonist Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PTGX) to “Strong-Buy”

Protagonist Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PTGX) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on PTGX. HC Wainwright raised their price target on shares of Protagonist Therapeutics from $80.00 to $117.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Leerink Partners raised their price target on shares of Protagonist Therapeutics from $107.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Protagonist Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Protagonist Therapeutics from $113.00 to $119.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Protagonist Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $113.69.

Protagonist Therapeutics Price Performance

PTGX stock opened at $99.36 on Friday. Protagonist Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $42.85 and a 12-month high of $107.84. The company has a market cap of $6.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -54.90 and a beta of 1.89. The company has a 50 day moving average of $99.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $89.42.

Protagonist Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PTGX) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.50) by $0.55. Protagonist Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 154.88% and a negative return on equity of 17.76%. The company had revenue of $56.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.70 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Protagonist Therapeutics will post 2.32 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Protagonist Therapeutics

In related news, insider Arturo Md Molina sold 15,000 shares of Protagonist Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.79, for a total value of $1,571,850.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 84,115 shares in the company, valued at $8,814,410.85. This trade represents a 15.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Harold E. Selick sold 24,000 shares of Protagonist Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total transaction of $2,520,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 60,845 shares in the company, valued at $6,388,725. This trade represents a 28.29% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 138,215 shares of company stock worth $13,866,186 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 5.19% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Protagonist Therapeutics by 110.6% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 297 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Greenline Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Protagonist Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Protagonist Therapeutics by 138.9% in the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 540 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Protagonist Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth $62,000. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in Protagonist Therapeutics by 79.5% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,185 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 525 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.63% of the company’s stock.

Protagonist Therapeutics Company Profile

Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc (NASDAQ: PTGX) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel, orally administered peptide-based therapies for immune-mediated and other serious diseases. The company leverages its proprietary Peptide 2.0 platform to design peptides that target G protein–coupled receptors and cytokine receptors, with the goal of combining the potency of biologics with the convenience of oral administration. Protagonist’s approach aims to address unmet medical needs in areas where injectable therapies have been the standard of care.

Among its lead programs is PTG-100, an oral ?4?7 integrin antagonist intended to block leukocyte migration to the gut in ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.