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Is Heron Therapeutics, Inc. (HRTX) The Hot Biotech Stock Under $5?

We recently published a list of 10 Hot Biotech Stocks Under $5. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Heron Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:HRTX) stands against other hot biotech stocks under $5.

The biotechnology sector is gaining new momentum with better market conditions, cutting-edge innovations, and growing investor attention. After a tough 2024, the industry is ready for major growth powered by developments in personalized medicine, AI-driven drug discovery, and rising demand for biologics. MarketsandMarkets reported that the global biotech market should grow from $483.0 billion in 2024 to $546.0 billion in 2025, reflecting a solid 13% increase. This growth shows the sector’s resilience and future potential.

A major factor in this upturn is the expected change in the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policies. Biotech needs lots of capital for expensive R&D and clinical tests, making it sensitive to shifting rate trends. Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News noted that lower rates increase capital availability, helping biotech companies extend operations, attract venture funds, and speed up drug development. Analysts think a rate cut could free up billions in sidelined investment money for struggling new biotech companies seeking stable funding.

Biotech stocks are gaining traction among investors. Despite short-term ups and downs, biotech remains a high-growth area with good opportunities for risk-takers. Top investment banks have noticed biotech’s recovery. Goldman Sachs called it an “undervalued opportunity,” pointing to strong fundamentals, better clinical results, and a favorable regulatory setting. Goldman Sachs stressed that biotech stocks offer an “option-like structure” with strong upside potential, especially as interest rates fall. Simultaneously, JPMorgan analysts expect biotech funding to recover, noting signs of stability in research and manufacturing areas that suffered in previous funding droughts. Though biotech IPOs have been quiet since 2021, industry experts believe that falling interest rates and favorable conditions for investments could reopen the IPO window for companies seeking institutional backing.

Meanwhile, scientific breakthroughs are also driving biotech growth as gene editing, AI-powered drug discovery, and precision medicine are changing how we treat cancer, autoimmune disorders, and rare genetic conditions. With advances in CRISPR gene editing and cell therapies, biotech companies are addressing medical needs in ways unimaginable just ten years ago.

Our Methodology

To identify the 10 Hot Biotech Stocks Under $5, we screened for companies in the biotechnology sector trading below $5 per share while meeting key financial and growth criteria. We focused on stocks with a strong market capitalization, ensuring they had a solid financial foundation. Additionally, we selected companies that have gained at least 20% in the past six months, reflecting recent positive momentum, and exhibit a potential upside of at least 20%, indicating strong future growth prospects. After filtering stocks based on these parameters, we ranked them in ascending order of their potential upside to determine our final list.

To further validate our selections, we analyzed hedge fund sentiment using data from Insider Monkey’s Q4 2024 hedge fund database. Stocks with higher hedge fund ownership are often backed by institutional investors with deep research capabilities, adding an additional layer of confidence to their growth potential.

Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).

A biomedical scientist using the latest equipment to engineer a drug delivery technology.

Heron Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:HRTX)

Potential Upside: 152.00%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 17

Heron Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:HRTX) has advanced its commercial-stage biotech portfolio, concentrating on novel drug delivery systems that improve patient care. Its Biochronomer technology allows extended drug release, making its treatments highly effective for managing chemotherapy nausea, post-surgery pain, and other conditions. With a robust pipeline and growing product use, Heron is cementing its position in the biotech industry.

Financially, Heron Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:HRTX) posted a total net revenue of $144.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, up 14% from the prior year. The company reached profitability in Q4 with $3.6 million in net income, a significant improvement from a $10.7 million loss in Q4 2023. Yearly adjusted EBITDA hit $8.6 million, reflecting improved operational efficiency and cost management. CINVANTI, its main injectable antiemetic, bounced back strongly with over $100 million in 2024 sales. Meanwhile, ZYNRELEF, the company’s post-op pain therapy, reached record revenues of $8.5 million in Q4, increasing 33% from the previous quarter. The company finished the year with $59.3 million in cash, giving it stable funding for growth.

Heron Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:HRTX) scored a major legal win on December 3, 2024, when the U.S. District Court ruled in the company’s favor in a patent dispute with Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC. The court upheld Heron’s CINVANTI patents, which remain protected until 2035. This prevents immediate generic competition, strengthening Heron’s market position and revenue stability.

Moreover, the company has significant momentum in its acute care products, with APONVIE and ZYNRELEF showing substantial yearly growth. ZYNRELEF now has broader coverage under the NOPAIN Act and enhanced ease of use with its new vial access needle (VAN), which should speed up adoption in 2025.

Heron Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:HRTX) is set for continued growth. Strong finances, increasing product adoption, and secure patent protection make it a hot biotech stock.

Overall, HRTX ranks 7th on our list of hot biotech stocks under $5. While we acknowledge the potential of HRTX, our conviction lies in the belief that certain AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than HRTX but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.

AI, Tariffs, Nuclear Power: One Undervalued Stock Connects ALL the Dots (Before It Explodes!)

Artificial intelligence is the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime. The time to invest in groundbreaking AI is now, and this stock is a steal!

AI is eating the world—and the machines behind it are ravenous.

Each ChatGPT query, each model update, each robotic breakthrough consumes massive amounts of energy. In fact, AI is already pushing global power grids to the brink.

Wall Street is pouring hundreds of billions into artificial intelligence—training smarter chatbots, automating industries, and building the digital future. But there’s one urgent question few are asking:

Where will all of that energy come from?

AI is the most electricity-hungry technology ever invented. Each data center powering large language models like ChatGPT consumes as much energy as a small city. And it’s about to get worse.

Even Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI, issued a stark warning:

“The future of AI depends on an energy breakthrough.”

Elon Musk was even more blunt:

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As the world chases faster, smarter machines, a hidden crisis is emerging behind the scenes. Power grids are strained. Electricity prices are rising. Utilities are scrambling to expand capacity.

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One little-known company—almost entirely overlooked by most AI investors—could be the ultimate backdoor play. It’s not a chipmaker. It’s not a cloud platform. But it might be the most important AI stock in the US owns critical energy infrastructure assets positioned to feed the coming AI energy spike.

As demand from AI data centers explodes, this company is gearing up to profit from the most valuable commodity in the digital age: electricity.

The “Toll Booth” Operator of the AI Energy Boom

  • It owns critical nuclear energy infrastructure assets, positioning it at the heart of America’s next-generation power strategy.
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AI. Energy. Tariffs. Onshoring. This One Company Ties It All Together.

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AI needs energy. Energy needs infrastructure.

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This company has its finger in every pie—and Wall Street is just starting to notice.

Wall Street is noticing this company also because it is quietly riding all of these tailwinds—without the sky-high valuation.

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This company is completely debt-free.

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The Hedge Fund Secret That’s Starting to Leak Out

This stock is so off-the-radar, so absurdly undervalued, that some of the most secretive hedge fund managers in the world have begun pitching it at closed-door investment summits.

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Why? Because excluding cash and investments, this company is trading at less than 7 times earnings.

And that’s for a business tied to:

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You simply won’t find another AI and energy stock this cheap… with this much upside.

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Disruption is the New Name of the Game: Let’s face it, complacency breeds stagnation.

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A New Dawn is Coming to U.S. Stocks

I work for one of the largest independent financial publishers in the world – representing over 1 million people in 148 countries.

We’re independently funding today’s broadcast to address something on the mind of every investor in America right now…

Should I put my money in Artificial Intelligence?

Here to answer that for us… and give away his No. 1 free AI recommendation… is 50-year Wall Street titan, Marc Chaikin.

Marc’s been a trader, stockbroker, and analyst. He was the head of the options department at a major brokerage firm and is a sought-after expert for CNBC, Fox Business, Barron’s, and Yahoo! Finance…

But what Marc’s most known for is his award-winning stock-rating system. Which determines whether a stock could shoot sky-high in the next three to six months… or come crashing down.

That’s why Marc’s work appears in every Bloomberg and Reuters terminal on the planet…

And is still used by hundreds of banks, hedge funds, and brokerages to track the billions of dollars flowing in and out of stocks each day.

He’s used this system to survive nine bear markets… create three new indices for the Nasdaq… and even predict the brutal bear market of 2022, 90 days in advance.

Click to continue reading…