Rapt Therapeutics Acquired by GSK for $2.2 Billion, Shares Surge Over 60%
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 20 2026
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Source: Fool
- Acquisition Deal: Rapt Therapeutics has struck a deal with GSK for $2.2 billion, offering shareholders $58 per share, which represents a premium of over 65% compared to the closing price before the announcement, significantly enhancing shareholder returns.
- Stock Performance: Following the acquisition announcement, Rapt's shares surged over 60%, closing at $22.47 with a market cap of $973 million, reflecting strong market reaction and investor optimism regarding the deal.
- Drug Development Potential: The acquisition grants GSK global rights to ozureprubart, an experimental antibody treatment targeting food allergies, addressing a significant unmet need for over 17 million food allergy sufferers in the U.S., indicating substantial market potential.
- Clinical Trial Progress: Ozureprubart is currently in phase 2 clinical trials, targeting the protein responsible for approximately 94% of severe food allergies, with GSK's chief scientific officer noting its potential to become a best-in-class treatment, further strengthening GSK's competitive position in the market.
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Analyst Views on GSK
Wall Street analysts forecast GSK stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for GSK is 38.72 USD with a low forecast of 20.15 USD and a high forecast of 55.60 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
6 Analyst Rating
1 Buy
2 Hold
3 Sell
Moderate Sell
Current: 50.800
Low
20.15
Averages
38.72
High
55.60
Current: 50.800
Low
20.15
Averages
38.72
High
55.60
About GSK
GSK plc is a biopharma company. The Company’s segments include Commercial Operations and Research and Development. Its portfolio and pipeline are focused on developing medicines and vaccines in four core therapeutic areas, which are the areas of human health it focuses on to prevent and treat disease: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and infectious diseases. Its specialty medicines prevent and treat diseases, from HIV to respiratory diseases, immune-mediated conditions like lupus, and cancer. Its vaccine portfolio includes over 20 vaccines to protect people from diseases and infections throughout their lives. General medicines include inhaled medicines for asthma and COPD to antibiotics. It develops and commercializes preclinical antibody-drug conjugate for Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Its portfolio also includes Efimosfermin, a fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) analog therapeutic in clinical development.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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