Dinesh Ph Patel Sells 19,315 Shares of Protagonist Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PTGX) Stock

Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTGX) CEO Dinesh Ph Patel sold 19,315 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.59, for a total transaction of $1,633,855.85. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 574,505 shares in the company, valued at $48,597,377.95. This represents a 3.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Protagonist Therapeutics Stock Performance

Protagonist Therapeutics stock opened at $81.76 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 131.87 and a beta of 2.26. Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.70 and a fifty-two week high of $96.54. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $86.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $72.48.

Protagonist Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PTGX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.62) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.59) by ($0.03). Protagonist Therapeutics had a net margin of 21.94% and a return on equity of 6.86%. The firm had revenue of $4.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.41 million. On average, analysts forecast that Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. will post 2.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PTGX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Protagonist Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Barclays raised their price objective on Protagonist Therapeutics from $88.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Protagonist Therapeutics from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Wedbush lifted their target price on Protagonist Therapeutics from $70.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Protagonist Therapeutics from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.77.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Protagonist Therapeutics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in Protagonist Therapeutics by 110.6% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 297 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Protagonist Therapeutics during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Protagonist Therapeutics by 171.0% in the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 504 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 318 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in Protagonist Therapeutics in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Protagonist Therapeutics by 201.5% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 609 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.63% of the company’s stock.

Protagonist Therapeutics News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains strong: several brokerages have raised price targets or reiterated buy/overweight ratings (Johnson Rice $112, Citizens Jmp $102, JPMorgan raised to overweight). That analyst momentum and a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating help cushion downside. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Company fundamentals and outlook remain mixed — recent quarterly results missed revenue and EPS expectations, but PTGX is a clinical‑stage biotech with late‑stage programs (PTG‑100) that could re‑rate the stock on positive clinical/data news. No new clinical readouts were announced today. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Large, clustered insider sales — CEO Dinesh Patel sold multiple tranches (including 4,068 shares on Jan. 27 and larger sales earlier this week), CFO Asif Ali sold 46,203 shares (reducing his stake ~43%), and director/insider Arturo Molina sold >18k shares across days. These sizeable officer-level sales are being viewed negatively and likely pressured the stock today. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: The CFO’s SEC filing shows the large Jan. 27 sale (46,203 shares) and is particularly notable because a near‑half reduction by a finance officer can raise investor concern about insider conviction. Read More.

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.