Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTGX) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTGX) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seventeen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation, thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $123.00.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Protagonist Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Protagonist Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $135.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Protagonist Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 27th. Citizens Jmp increased their price objective on Protagonist Therapeutics from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Protagonist Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, May 15th.

Protagonist Therapeutics Stock Down 0.0%

NASDAQ PTGX opened at $135.43 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $8.71 billion, a P/E ratio of -74.82 and a beta of 1.79. The company’s 50 day moving average is $116.11 and its 200-day moving average is $101.09. Protagonist Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $50.49 and a 12-month high of $143.29.

Protagonist Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PTGX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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. Equities analysts expect that Protagonist Therapeutics will post 3.69 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director William D. Waddill sold 9,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.94, for a total value of $1,061,460.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 7,825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $922,880.50. This represents a 53.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Dinesh V. Ph D. Patel sold 75,000 shares of Protagonist Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.12, for a total transaction of $7,509,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 523,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,410,617.36. The trade was a 12.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 161,130 shares of company stock worth $16,355,220 over the last ninety days. 5.19% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Protagonist Therapeutics by 110.6% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 297 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Greenline Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Protagonist Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Protagonist Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at approximately $89,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Protagonist Therapeutics by 63.0% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Protagonist Therapeutics by 222.4% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 951 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 656 shares during the last quarter. 98.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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 ?4?7 integrin antagonist intended to block leukocyte migration to the gut in ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.