Inside One Fund's $170 Million Bet on a Biotech Stock Up 1,040% in a Year Amid FDA Review for Breast Cancer Drug

Deerfield Management Company disclosed a substantial purchase of Celcuity (CELC +2.66%) in its February 17, 2026, SEC filing, adding 980,470 shares in the fourth quarter. The estimated value of the trade is $80.60 million, based on average pricing for the period.

What happened

According to a SEC filing dated February 17, 2026, Deerfield Management Company bought an additional 980,470 shares of Celcuity during the fourth quarter. The estimated value of this purchase is $80.60 million, based on the quarter’s average closing price. The fund’s quarter-end position in Celcuity was valued at $170.95 million, up $134.72 million from the prior quarter, a figure that includes both new purchases and share price movement.

What else to know

• Top five holdings after the filing:
  • NASDAQ: NUVL: $1.74 billion (25.4% of AUM)
  • NASDAQ: COGT: $321.24 million (4.7% of AUM)
  • NASDAQ: PRAX: $266.25 million (3.9% of AUM)
  • NYSE: CNC: $265.34 million (3.9% of AUM)
  • NASDAQ: VTRS: $251.57 million (3.7% of AUM)
• As of Friday, Celcuity shares were priced at $114.37, up 1,040% over the past year and vastly outperforming the S&P 500’s roughly 19% gain in the same period.

Company overview

Company snapshot

• Celcuity develops molecularly targeted therapies for cancer, with a focus on its lead drug candidate Gedatolisib and the CELsignia diagnostic platform for breast and ovarian cancer.
• The company operates a clinical-stage biotechnology model, generating value through drug development, licensing agreements, and proprietary diagnostic testing.
• Primary customers include oncology healthcare providers and biopharmaceutical partners targeting patients with hormone receptor positive, HER2-negative, and advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

Celcuity Inc. is a biotechnology company specializing in precision oncology, leveraging its CELsignia platform and targeted therapeutics pipeline. The company’s strategy centers on identifying specific cellular drivers of cancer to enable more effective, personalized treatment options. Its competitive advantage lies in proprietary diagnostic capabilities and exclusive development rights to novel therapies such as Gedatolisib.

What this transaction means for investors

Celcuity’s lead asset, gedatolisib, targets the PI3K and mTOR signaling pathway, one of the most important growth pathways driving many cancers. Rather than inhibiting a single node, the therapy blocks multiple components of the pathway at once, and momentum around that approach has accelerated.

In January, the FDA accepted Celcuity’s new drug application for gedatolisib in hormone receptor positive, HER2 negative advanced breast cancer and granted the program priority review, setting a decision date of July 17, 2026. The application is backed by results from the Phase 3 VIKTORIA-1 trial and was submitted through the agency’s real-time oncology review program, which is intended to shorten regulatory timelines.

The market has taken notice, with shares skyrocketing more than 1,000% over the past year. The company is set to give its upcoming quarterly report next week. As of September 30, the firm reported having about $455 in cash and short-term investments, enough to fund operations through next year.