HC Wainwright Updates Earnings Estimate for Protagonist Therapeutics in Q1 2025

On February 24th, 2025, investment analysts from HC Wainwright announced that they have revised their earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTGX). The analyst D. Tsao now forecasts that the company’s EPS for the first quarter of 2025 will be ($0.57), a slight improvement from the previous estimate of ($0.61).

HC Wainwright maintains a “Buy” rating for Protagonist Therapeutics with a price target set at $54.00. The broader consensus for the company’s full-year earnings in 2025 remains at $2.43 per share. Additionally, the firm has projected earnings for future quarters as follows: Q2 2025 at ($0.65) EPS, Q3 2025 at ($0.38) EPS, and Q4 2025 reflecting a positive $1.00 EPS. The estimates for the full fiscal years continue with ($0.62) EPS for 2025, ($1.52) EPS for 2026, ($0.39) EPS for 2027, $2.83 EPS for 2028, and $6.91 EPS for 2029.

Other brokerage firms have also recently shared their perspectives on PTGX. On February 21st, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating, setting a target price of $58.00 for the stock. Similarly, JMP Securities retained a “market outperform” rating, also advising a price target of $58.00, which they announced on February 7th. Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase raised their price target from $51.00 to $53.00, giving Protagonist an “overweight” rating on February 4th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage of Protagonist Therapeutics with a recommendation of “outperform” and a price target of $62.00. Conversely, StockNews.com adjusted their previous “buy” rating to a “hold” on December 10th.

Analyzing the current market, a total of two analysts have assigned a hold rating to Protagonist Therapeutics, while seven have given it a buy rating, and one has recommended a strong buy. As per data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating categorized as “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.44.

Latest Stock Performance

As of Wednesday, February 27th, 2025, shares of Protagonist Therapeutics opened at $36.15. The company’s 50-day moving average is noted at $38.09, while the 200-day moving average is at $41.85. Over the past year, the stock has seen a low of $24.22 and a high of $48.89, giving it a market capitalization of $2.15 billion. The current PE ratio stands at 13.59 with a beta of 2.22.

Protagonist Therapeutics recently announced its financial results for the quarter, which came out on February 21st. The company reported an EPS of $1.98, significantly exceeding analysts’ expectations of ($0.09) by $2.07. Furthermore, the company experienced a return on equity of 34.68% and reported a net margin of 52.76%. Revenue for the quarter totaled $170.64 million, surpassing the consensus estimate of $56.65 million.

Institutional Trading Activity

In terms of institutional involvement, several major investors have been actively adjusting their positions in Protagonist Therapeutics. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings by 4.5% during the fourth quarter, now owning 6,250 shares valued at $241,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares. Similarly, Maryland State Retirement & Pension System raised its stake by 1.4%, holding 20,170 shares worth $779,000 after a purchase of 278 shares. Meanwhile, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its shareholdings by 10.4% and Louisiana State Employees Retirement System expanded its position by 1.1%. Furthermore, Mirae Asset Global Investments raised its stake by 21.6% in the third quarter. Currently, hedge funds and institutional investors own approximately 98.63% of Protagonist Therapeutics’ stock.

Insider Transactions

In recent insider activity, CEO Dinesh V. Ph.D. Patel sold 5,359 shares on February 19th, at an average price of $38.18, amounting to a total value of $204,606.62. After the sale, the CEO continues to hold 540,260 shares in the company, valued at around $20.63 million. This transaction marked a 0.98% reduction in the CEO’s ownership. Such transactions are disclosed through SEC filings, which can be accessed for further insights. Insiders currently own about 5.40% of the company’s stock.

Company Overview

Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical firm engaged in developing peptide-based medications focusing on hematology, blood disorders, as well as inflammatory and immunomodulatory diseases. The company is advancing several candidates including Rusfertide (PTG-300), an injectable hepcidin mimetic aimed at treating polycythemia vera and other blood disorders. Additionally, JNJ-2113 is an investigational drug designed for blocking biological pathways, which has completed phase 2b clinical trials for treating moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Another candidate, PN-943, is a gut-restricted integrin antagonist, which has also completed phase 2 trials for patients with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis.

Earnings, Stocks, Therapeutics