Arturo Md Molina Sells 15,000 Shares of Protagonist Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PTGX) Stock

Key Points

• Arturo Md Molina sold 15,000 shares of Protagonist Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PTGX) on March 26 at an average price of $104.79 for $1,571,850, reducing his holding to 84,115 shares (a 15.13% decrease).
• Molina has been an active seller this year, previously disposing of 13,151, 9,514 and 5,000 shares in January at roughly $82 per share, indicating sustained insider selling pressure.
• Protagonist missed quarterly estimates (EPS ‑$0.69 vs. ‑$0.53; revenue $7.44M vs. $14.92M) but the stock trades near its 52‑week high, with a market cap of $6.32B and a consensus analyst target around $107.31 backed largely by Buy ratings.

Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTGX - Get Free Report) insider Arturo Md Molina sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.79, for a total transaction of $1,571,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 84,115 shares in the company, valued at $8,814,410.85. The trade was a 15.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Arturo Md Molina also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, January 23rd, Arturo Md Molina sold 13,151 shares of Protagonist Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.42, for a total transaction of $1,083,905.42.
• On Tuesday, January 27th, Arturo Md Molina sold 5,000 shares of Protagonist Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.00, for a total transaction of $410,000.00.
• On Tuesday, January 20th, Arturo Md Molina sold 9,514 shares of Protagonist Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.48, for a total transaction of $784,714.72.

Protagonist Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of PTGX stock opened at $98.97 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.32 billion, a P/E ratio of -48.28 and a beta of 2.23. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $88.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.34. Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. has a one year low of $39.60 and a one year high of $105.69.

Protagonist Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PTGX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($0.69) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.53) by ($0.16). The company 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, research analysts predict that Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. will post 2.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Protagonist Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Protagonist Therapeutics by 110.6% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 297 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Greenline Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Protagonist Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in Protagonist Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Protagonist Therapeutics by 138.9% in the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 540 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Protagonist Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at $62,000. 98.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Protagonist Therapeutics from $88.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Protagonist Therapeutics from $65.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Johnson Rice reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Protagonist Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Protagonist Therapeutics from $113.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Protagonist Therapeutics from $95.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $107.31.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.