Protagonist Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PTGX) Shares Up 4.6% on Analyst Upgrade

Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTGX)’s stock price rose 4.6% on Thursday after Leerink Partners raised their price target on the stock from $107.00 to $110.00. Leerink Partners currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Protagonist Therapeutics traded as high as $101.43 and last traded at $101.5950. Approximately 187,169 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 754,789 shares. The stock had previously closed at $97.09.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. HC Wainwright boosted their target price on shares of Protagonist Therapeutics from $80.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Protagonist Therapeutics from $113.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Protagonist Therapeutics from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Johnson Rice reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Protagonist Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Protagonist Therapeutics from $95.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Protagonist Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $107.31.

Insider Activity at Protagonist Therapeutics

In other news, Director Lewis T. Williams sold 18,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.42, for a total transaction of $1,483,560.00. Following the sale, the director owned 7,825 shares in the company, valued at $644,936.50. The trade was a 69.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director William D. Waddill sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.68, for a total transaction of $1,673,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 7,825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $654,796. This trade represents a 71.88% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 203,167 shares of company stock valued at $16,889,199. Corporate insiders own 4.90% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Protagonist Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA approval and commercial terms: Johnson & Johnson’s U.S. FDA approval of ICOTYDE—an oral IL‑23R targeted peptide developed with Protagonist—triggered a $50 million milestone payment to Protagonist and makes the company eligible for 6–10% royalties plus up to $580 million in future milestones, creating a clear near‑ and long‑term revenue path tied to J&J’s commercialization. AccessWire: FDA approval and deal terms
• Positive Sentiment: Major analyst upgrades/price‑target lifts: Several firms raised targets and reiterated positive ratings today—Citigroup to $125 (Buy), Barclays to $119 (Overweight), Leerink to $110 (Outperform), and JPMorgan to $106 (Overweight)—signaling broad Wall Street support and further buying interest. (See links for coverage.) Benzinga: analyst coverage TickerReport: JPMorgan note
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary: Coverage highlights that J&J’s approval should create “significant value” for Protagonist via milestones and royalties, reinforcing the market narrative that the approval is transformational for PTGX. MSN: Wall Street reaction
• Positive Sentiment: Industry impact commentary: Media coverage frames Protagonist’s first approval as disruptive to larger immunology incumbents, supporting investor expectations of meaningful market share and pricing power if J&J’s launch gains traction. BioSpace: market impact
• Neutral Sentiment: Conference call/transcript and investor materials are available: Protagonist and partners provided conference/webcast materials and a transcript discussing the approval and clinical data; useful for investors wanting primary‑source detail on safety, efficacy, and commercial strategy. Seeking Alpha: transcript Seeking Alpha: slideshow
• Negative Sentiment: Commercial and timing risk: while the approval creates revenue pathways, Protagonist’s near‑term cash flow depends on J&J’s successful launch, market uptake timing, and royalty cadence—factors outside Protagonist’s direct control that could delay or limit realized revenue. AccessWire: deal structure & royalties

Institutional Trading of Protagonist Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PTGX. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Protagonist Therapeutics by 30.6% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 9,964 shares of the company’s stock valued at $482,000 after buying an additional 2,334 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in Protagonist Therapeutics by 0.9% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 37,403 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,810,000 after buying an additional 348 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in Protagonist Therapeutics by 283.6% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 134,269 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,493,000 after acquiring an additional 99,269 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Protagonist Therapeutics by 43.2% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 23,878 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,320,000 after acquiring an additional 7,199 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in Protagonist Therapeutics by 21.2% during the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,414 shares of the company’s stock worth $133,000 after acquiring an additional 422 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.63% of the company’s stock.

Protagonist Therapeutics Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $86.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $80.59. The company has a market cap of $6.49 billion, a PE ratio of -49.60 and a beta of 2.23.

Protagonist Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PTGX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($0.69) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.53) by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $7.44 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.92 million. Protagonist Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 282.83% and a negative return on equity of 19.89%. As a group, analysts expect that Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. will post 2.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Protagonist Therapeutics

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 α4β7 integrin antagonist intended to block leukocyte migration to the gut in ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.