We recently published a list of Why These 15 Healthcare Stocks Are Surging in 2025. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Chimerix Inc. (NASDAQ:CMRX) stands against other healthcare stocks that are surging in 2025.

After lagging behind the broader market in 2024, many healthcare stocks are making a comeback this year. Healthcare spending has been continuously soaring and is projected to do so in the coming years due to demographic tailwinds. The industry now accounts for a fifth of the U.S. economy, and it’s a good idea to have exposure to it.

Most executives now hold a favorable view of the industry’s prospects, a notable increase from 52% just a year ago. Moreover, it’s an industry that is more insulated from tariffs and macro risks.

Of course, the top gainers here are not defensive healthcare stocks, but it’s still worth looking into the winners here if you are chasing potential multibaggers.

Even during bear markets, there are pockets of the market that perform exceptionally well. For example, I identified 15 Energy Stocks that are Up the Most in 2025 in another article.

Methodology

For this article, I screened the best-performing healthcare stocks year-to-date.

I will also mention the number of hedge fund investors in these stocks. 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 scientist in a lab coat observing a sample under a microscope, illuminating the biopharmaceutical research undertaken by the company.

Chimerix Inc. (NASDAQ:CMRX)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 17

Chimerix Inc. (NASDAQ:CMRX) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing medicines for deadly diseases, with its lead candidate dordaviprone targeting recurrent H3 K27M-mutant diffuse glioma, a rare brain cancer.

The stock’s dramatic rise in 2025, at one point up nearly 70% in a single day, was primarily triggered by two major events.

The first was the March 2025 announcement that the FDA accepted Chimerix’s New Drug Application for dordaviprone and granted it Priority Review, with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) decision date set for August 18, 2025.

The second, and even more significant, event was the March 5, 2025 announcement that Jazz Pharmaceuticals would acquire Chimerix for $8.55 per share in cash, valuing the deal at about $935 million. This acquisition news caused Chimerix shares to surge.

The consensus price target of $8.53 implies 0.08% downside.

Chimerix Inc. (NASDAQ:CMRX) stock is up 145.40% year-to-date.

Overall, CMRX ranks 8th on our list of healthcare stocks that are surging in 2025. While we acknowledge the potential of CMRX as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than CMRX but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this 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.