Protagonist Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PTGX) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Citigroup Analyst Says

Protagonist Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PTGX) had its price objective lifted by research analysts at Citigroup from $115.00 to $125.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Citigroup’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 26.43% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on PTGX. HC Wainwright lifted their target price on shares of Protagonist Therapeutics from $80.00 to $117.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citizens Jmp increased their price target on shares of Protagonist Therapeutics from $102.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $121.00 price objective on shares of Protagonist Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Protagonist Therapeutics from $65.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Protagonist Therapeutics from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $107.31.

Protagonist Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PTGX opened at $98.87 on Thursday. Protagonist Therapeutics has a 52-week low of $39.60 and a 52-week high of $105.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $87.17 and a 200 day moving average of $80.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -48.23 and a beta of 2.23.

Protagonist Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PTGX) last announced 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 the consensus estimate of $14.92 million. Protagonist Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 19.89% and a negative net margin of 282.83%. Equities analysts forecast that Protagonist Therapeutics will post 2.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director William D. Waddill sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.68, for a total transaction of $1,673,600.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 7,825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $654,796. This trade represents a 71.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Arturo Md Molina sold 13,151 shares of Protagonist Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.42, for a total value of $1,083,905.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 84,115 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,932,758.30. This represents a 13.52% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 203,167 shares of company stock worth $16,889,199 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 4.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Protagonist Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in Protagonist Therapeutics by 140.7% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,649,981 shares of the company’s stock worth $231,355,000 after purchasing an additional 1,549,160 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Protagonist Therapeutics by 66.2% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,171,423 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,992,000 after purchasing an additional 1,262,977 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Protagonist Therapeutics by 27.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,413,690 shares of the company’s stock valued at $472,832,000 after purchasing an additional 1,156,461 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in shares of Protagonist Therapeutics in the third quarter worth approximately $72,114,000. Finally, Commodore Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Protagonist Therapeutics in the second quarter worth approximately $59,415,000. 98.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Protagonist Therapeutics News

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA approval of J&J’s Icotyde for plaque psoriasis materially improves Protagonist’s near-term commercial outlook by triggering milestone payments and future royalty upside tied to Protagonist’s partnered program. Protagonist Therapeutics Stock Rallies Nearly 7% in a Week: Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction: coverage highlights a ~6–7% lift tied to the approval and notes the path to royalties; higher-than-average volume suggests institutional interest and re-rating momentum. Why Protagonist Therapeutics (PTGX) Is Up 6.6% After First Psoriasis Drug Wins FDA Approval
• Positive Sentiment: Several major banks raised price targets and reiterated buy/overweight ratings following the approval, providing further upside expectations (Leerink, JPMorgan, Citigroup, Barclays). These analyst upgrades are supporting the stock’s recent run. Analyst coverage roundup (Benzinga) JPMorgan note (TickerReport) Citigroup coverage (Zacks)
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks notes recent momentum and that recent earnings-estimate revisions could support further upside in the near term. Protagonist Therapeutics (PTGX) Soars 4.7%: Is Further Upside Left in the Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader Wall Street commentary emphasizes that J&J’s approval should create “significant value” for Protagonist, reinforcing sentiment but not guaranteeing cash flow until milestones/royalties are realized. Wall Street says J&J’s FDA-approved psoriasis drug should create significant value for Protagonist
• Negative Sentiment: Key risk: Protagonist reported an earnings and revenue miss in its last report and remains unprofitable with negative margins—meaning the market is pricing future milestone/royalty potential rather than current cash generation. This raises execution and timing risk (milestones may be delayed or smaller than expected).

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.