We recently published a list of 10 Best Nasdaq Stocks Under $5 to Buy. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Opko Health Inc. (NASDAQ:OPK) stands against other best Nasdaq stocks under $5 to buy.
The Nasdaq is one of the top three most-followed stock market indices in the United States, comprising over 2,500 stocks. Its composition is heavily skewed towards the Technology sector, and as of February 10, 2025, the technology sector constituted around 60% of the index’s weight. Consumer Discretionary follows as the second-largest sector, accounting for approximately 20% of the weight. Given this substantial weighting, the Nasdaq is commonly regarded as a leading indicator of the performance of the IT industry.
While the Nasdaq includes tech giants with the largest market capitalizations, it also presents opportunities to invest in stocks often referred to as “penny stocks.” These stocks, priced under $5, offer significant growth potential for investors seeking high returns at a relatively low capital outlay. Although these stocks come with high return and diversification opportunities, they also carry higher risks due to their smaller market capitalization, relatively higher debt, and greater volatility in share prices.
To provide a perspective on the small-cap investing landscape, we refer to recent insights from Francis Gannon, Co-Chief Investment Officer at Royce Investment Partners. In November 2024, during an interview with Yahoo Finance, Gannon discussed his thesis on small-caps. He noted that small-caps had been out of favour for an extended period, with the Russell 2000 reaching its peak three years ago and experiencing negative returns since then. Gannon believes the new Trump administration, reshoring efforts, leading innovation, and a favourable earnings season will significantly boost small-cap companies, describing this shift as nothing short of a “revolution.”
As a result, exciting return opportunities are anticipated in the small-cap space in the coming years. When reviewing stocks priced under $5, investors should carefully select emerging companies with innovative business models or disruptive technologies, and those that have the potential to deliver exponential growth as they capture market share, develop new products, or enter new markets.
Our Methodology
To identify the 10 best Nasdaq stocks under $5 to buy, we screened Nasdaq-listed companies with a market price below $5. We selected the 10 companies that were the most widely held by hedge funds and ranked them in ascending order of hedge fund holders, as of Q3 2024.
Note: All pricing data is as of market close on February 10.
At Insider Monkey we are obsessed with 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 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
A doctor in scrubs discussing a patient’s test results with a small group of concerned family members.
Opko Health Inc. (NASDAQ:OPK)
Current Market Price: $1.65
Number of hedge funds: 22
Opko Health Inc. (NASDAQ:OPK) is a diversified healthcare company specializing in the development and commercialization of innovative medical technologies and pharmaceuticals. The company operates in various segments, including diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology, with a strong focus on improving patient outcomes through advanced healthcare solutions. Opko Health offers products such as Rayaldee, a treatment for secondary hyperparathyroidism; Somatrogon, a human growth hormone injection; and the diagnostics business, including BioReference Health.
In November, Opko Health Inc. (NASDAQ:OPK) reported its Q3 2024 results, showing total revenues of $173.6 million, compared with $178.6 million for Q3 2023. The company achieved an operating income of $14.2 million, a significant improvement from the $64.4 million loss in Q3 2023. This improvement was driven by a one-time gain of $121.5 million from the sale of select BioReference assets and $10.5 million from the GeneDx sale. Additionally, the company commenced enrollment in a Phase 1 trial for MDX2001, a tetraspecific antibody targeting solid tumor cancers. In January 2025, ModeX Therapeutics Inc., a subsidiary, announced the start of a Phase I study of an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) vaccine candidate being developed in collaboration with Merck Sharpe & Dohme. With a robust pipeline, Opko Health Inc. (NASDAQ:OPK) is strategically positioned to benefit from the growing demand for innovative healthcare solutions.
Overall, OPK ranks 3rd on our list of best Nasdaq stocks under $5 to buy. While we acknowledge the potential of OPK to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that 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 OPK but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.