Bank of America Predicts Up to 240% Jump for These 2 ‘Strong Buy’ Stocks

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Sun, February 22, 2026 at 8:15 PM GMT+9 7 min read

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The stock market has been treading water so far this year, with the S&P 500 up roughly 1% while the Nasdaq has slipped 1.5%. Tech stocks have struggled to regain last year’s momentum as investors reassess the durability of AI-driven spending, the margin impact of massive capital expenditures, and whether growth rates can justify the premium multiples many companies still command.

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That skepticism toward richly valued mega-cap tech has pushed investors to look elsewhere for returns, and biotech has been a clear beneficiary. The Nasdaq Biotechnology Index has climbed 30% over the past year, more than double the S&P 500’s advance, as capital rotates into areas where valuations appear more compelling and upside is driven by tangible catalysts.

The move into biotech has been supported by improving fundamentals across the space. Encouraging clinical data, regulatory approvals, and a pickup in merger-and-acquisition activity have revived risk appetite, while bond yields sitting below prior peaks have improved the backdrop for long-duration growth assets such as development-stage drugmakers.

Against this backdrop, Bank of America analysts have zeroed in on two biotech stocks they believe could deliver substantial gains in the months ahead – with potential upside as high as 240% in one case. If that’s not compelling enough, according to the TipRanks database, both names also carry unanimous Strong Buy consensus ratings. Let’s take a closer look at what’s driving that conviction on Wall Street.

Inhibikase Therapeutics (IKT)

The first Bank of America pick we’re looking at is Inhibikase Therapeutics, a small-cap biotech focused on kinase biology, with its current lead effort aimed at pulmonary arterial hypertension, or PAH. It’s a brutal disease driven by progressive narrowing and remodeling of the pulmonary vessels, which forces the heart to pump against rising resistance and can ultimately lead to heart failure. Inhibikase’s thesis is straightforward: if you can slow the underlying vascular remodeling, you can potentially move beyond symptom management and into disease modification.

While PAH is a rare condition, it represents a sizable commercial opportunity. According to Research and Markets, the global PAH market was valued at $8.29 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach nearly $12 billion by 2030, as demand for novel therapies continues to build.

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Inhibikase’s lead candidate, IKT-001, is an oral prodrug of imatinib, a well-known kinase inhibitor originally approved for certain cancers. The goal is to retain imatinib’s demonstrated efficacy in PAH while improving tolerability – a limitation that has historically prevented its broader use in this setting.

IKT-001 was generally well tolerated in its Phase 1 study in healthy volunteers, with pharmacokinetic data demonstrating exposure levels comparable to imatinib. The findings helped establish dose equivalency and supported the drug’s advancement into PAH patient trials.

Importantly, the company announced in November 2025 that, following FDA feedback, it was cleared to bypass a planned Phase 2b trial and move directly into a pivotal Phase 3 program, IMPROVE-PAH. The two-part, adaptive, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study is expected to begin during this quarter and could enroll up to 486 patients across as many as 180 global sites. Ahead of this pivotal program, the company strengthened its balance sheet by raising $100 million in gross proceeds last November.

With a late-stage asset targeting a multibillion-dollar market, Bank of America’s 5-star analyst Jason Zemansky believes IKT’s $1.76 share price reflects an attractive entry point.

“Given compelling mechanistic rationale, good phase 1 data, and prescriber enthusiasm for the TKI, we believe shares are undervalued,” Zemansky opined. “While we acknowledge studies of ‘001 are early, with limited data and much still to play out, our KOLs believe the prodrug has the potential to be best-in-class, combining potentially 1) superior improvements in PVR and 6MWD; 2) a relatively favorable safety/ tolerability; and 3) the convenience of an oral (vs injectable) form. These attributes could meaningfully improve patient adherence and broaden prescriber adoption, particularly in a market where ease of use and safety are critical drivers. Assuming positive trial outcomes, we believe IKT-001 is well positioned to capture meaningful share and reshape the treatment paradigm in PAH—as well as, possibly, other types of PH… Given potential to be used broadly in the >$7B market, we’d argue the risk/reward looks compelling and supportive of our Buy rating.”

The BofA analyst backs up his Buy rating with a $6 price target, implying a robust 240% upside over the next 12 months. (To watch Zemansky’s track record, click here)

No one is arguing with that take on Wall Street. IKT’s Strong Buy consensus rating is based on Buy recommendations only – 4 in total. The forecast calls for one-year gains of ~227%, considering the average price target stands at $5.75. (See IKT stock forecast)

Wave Life Sciences (WVE)

The second stock on BofA’s radar is Wave Life Sciences, an RNA-focused biotech advancing a new generation of drug candidates through its proprietary PRISM platform. By combining deep genetic insights with innovative chemistry, PRISM provides the company with a versatile toolkit of RNA-targeting modalities. Wave’s mission is to develop precision therapies for genetically driven, treatment-resistant diseases where current options fall short.

In line with this strategy, the company has advanced several programs into human clinical trials. These include WVE-006, developed using RNA gene editing, as well as its lead candidate, WVE-007, which leverages RNAi technology.

WVE-007 is now emerging as an early proof point for that strategy. In December, the company reported results from the Phase 1 INLIGHT trial evaluating WVE-007 in obesity. A single 240 mg subcutaneous dose delivered statistically significant reductions in visceral fat and total body fat, along with an increase in lean mass – an encouraging outcome in a competitive and rapidly evolving market. Building on those findings, Wave plans to initiate additional obesity studies this year, including a Phase 2a multidose trial portion.

At the same time, Wave’s RNA editing platform is advancing through WVE-006, a first-in-class GalNAc-conjugated RNA editing oligonucleotide designed to correct the disease-causing SERPINA1 Z allele mutation underlying alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD). The goal is to restore circulating wild-type alpha-1 antitrypsin (M-AAT) while reducing toxic Z-AAT aggregation in lung and liver tissue. WVE-006 is currently being evaluated in the Phase 1b/2a open-label RestorAATion-2 trial, which includes both single ascending dose and multiple ascending dose cohorts in individuals with the homozygous Pi*ZZ genotype. Safety and tolerability data to date have been favorable, with most adverse events reported as mild to moderate.

This cutting-edge biotech, backed by a differentiated clinical pipeline, has caught the attention of BofA analyst Alec Stranahan, who sees significant upside, particularly in the company’s obesity program.

“Wave’s obesity program (WVE-007) is a central upside driver in our framework, comprising 56% of our PO – differentiation comes from targeting INHBE, a gene controlling fat breakdown. Early clinical data has demonstrated solid fat reduction while maintaining lean mass. We think 2026 readouts exploring longer follow-up and higher doses should further narrow the gap on weight loss and define the competitive profile. And while obesity development is intense (including other INHBE therapies), we think upcoming readouts will support differentiation. We model 0.8% peak penetration as monotherapy and 2% as combination/maintenance therapy, resulting in >$11B potential unadjusted peak sales… For WVE-006, we think AAT production has looked solid with the potential to improve with multidose data,” Stranahan noted.

Stranahan goes on to rate WVE shares a Buy, with a $38 price target implying ~182% upside over the next year. (To watch Stranahan’s track record, click here)

The broader analyst community is also leaning bullish. The stock carries a Strong Buy consensus based on 15 recent positive reviews, and with shares changing hands at $13.49 and an average price target of $32.57, Wall Street sees about 141% upside in the year ahead. (See WVE stock forecast)

To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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