Raymond James Predicts Up to ~760% Surge for These 2 ‘Strong Buy’ Stocks

With the summer of 2025 in full swing, all eyes are on President Trump’s trade moves once again. Over the past week, Trump announced a 35% tariff on most Canadian imports, set a 50% tariff on select Brazilian goods, and warned that a broader set of tariff hikes for other major trading partners could take effect as soon as August 1 if new trade agreements aren’t reached.

Naturally, all this has stirred up some uncertainty – especially for investors trying to read the tea leaves on inflation, supply chains, and overall market direction. And yet, Raymond James CIO Larry Adam sees plenty of reason for optimism when looking at the bigger picture.

“For investors, market ups and downs are nothing new. Despite interim setbacks, the S&P 500 has delivered a robust average annual return of ~11% since 1985. Bull markets historically last six times longer than bear markets and produce returns five times more powerful. The takeaway? Stay focused on the long term,” Adam notes.

That long-term perspective leads to a clear track, and Adam elaborates on it, saying, “We continue to favor U.S. equities, where the outlook remains brighter… We expect two rate cuts by year end and two more in 2026, helping growth pick up to 1.5% next year. Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ could also provide a modest boost, even if it adds to the deficit.”

Against this backdrop, Raymond James analysts have zeroed in on two stocks they believe are set for substantial growth in the coming year – including one with a potential upside as high as 760%.

As if that weren’t compelling enough, both names also earn a Strong Buy rating from the analyst consensus, according to the TipRanks database. Let’s break down what’s behind the bullish sentiment.

Achieve Life Sciences (ACHV)

We’ll start with a stock that is bursting with upside potential. Achieve Life Sciences is both a biopharmaceutical company and a penny stock – two niches known for their ability to deliver outsized returns. The company’s growth story revolves around its lead program: developing treatments for nicotine dependence.

Nicotine, the key addictive ingredient in tobacco products, has been connected to multiple health problems, including recurrent headaches, high blood pressure, dangerous blood clotting, sleep disorders, and changes in heart rhythm. The most common way that people satisfy their nicotine cravings is through smoking, which brings along its own array of health issues, from COPD to various cancers.

This isn’t just a health challenge – it’s a massive market opportunity. There are 29 million smokers in the US alone, some 16 million Americans living with smoking-related illnesses, and globally, about 8 million smoking-related deaths each year.

Achieve is targeting the problem with the development of cytisinicline, a naturally derived drug candidate designed to reduce withdrawal symptoms and make it easier to quit smoking or vaping. 

What sets cytisinicline apart is its robust clinical profile. The drug has delivered strong Phase 3 data on smoking cessation, with a favorable safety record to match. In the ORCA-2 and ORCA-3 trials, cytisinicline consistently produced statistically significant improvements in abstinence rates versus placebo. In ORCA-3, 30.3% of participants in the 12-week arm achieved continuous abstinence during weeks 9 to 12, compared to 9.4% with placebo, and about 20.5% remained abstinent through week 24 versus 4.2% for placebo. The safety profile was favorable, with mostly mild to moderate side effects and no treatment-related serious adverse events. These findings were reinforced by the ORCA-OL trial, where the independent DSMC’s third safety review identified no concerns with long-term cytisinicline use.

Now, Achieve is gearing up for the next phase: FDA approval and commercial launch. At the end of June, the company submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the FDA. If approved, cytisinicline will become the first FDA-approved drug therapy for nicotine addiction in the past two decades. To support its commercialization efforts, Achieve recently announced a strategic partnership with Omnicom and has raised about $45 million.

Moreover, Achieve is not stopping with traditional smokers. The company is advancing cytisinicline as a potential treatment for nicotine dependence in e-cigarette users as well. In the Phase 2 ORCA-V1 trial, cytisinicline produced higher quit rates than placebo among individuals seeking to quit vaping, with no serious adverse events reported. Following these results, Achieve held an end-of-Phase 2 meeting with the FDA and reached agreement on the design of a pivotal Phase 3 trial for vaping cessation. With that green light, the company plans to kick off the ORCA-V2 Phase 3 study in the first half of 2026.

Put it all together – the compelling data, the unmet need, the imminent FDA milestone, and a bargain-bin $2.32 share price – and it’s no wonder Raymond James analyst Gary Nachman thinks now is the time to get in on the action.

“Our Strong Buy rating is supported by a significant unmet need still in the [nicotine addiction] market that is a major global public health concern, with current options resulting in very low quit rates. Cytisinicline has a compelling clinical profile with strong Phase 2/3 data. Cytisinicline shows high smoking cessation quit rates and a favorable safety profile compared to PFE’s Chantix (peak sales $1.1B) that is now generic. Cytisinicline has a proven mechanism that is similar to Chantix, but is naturally derived and more selective resulting in fewer AEs, has 50+ years of safe use in E. Europe, and now a submitted NDA with a de-risked regulatory pathway,” Nachman opined.

“There is a large opportunity in smoking cessation that is ripe for the taking and an expanded partnership with Omnicom should help with the US launch, and potentially big upside from vaping as well… A partnership/acquisition to maximize value is possible,” the analyst added.

All of this helps explain Nachman’s Strong Buy rating on ACHV, which comes with a $20 price target. If his thesis plays out, investors could be looking at a whopping ~760% gain over the next 12 months. (To watch Nachman’s track record, click here)

And it’s not just Nachman who sees big upside here. The broader analyst community is similarly upbeat: in the past 3 months, ACHV has picked up 4 Buy ratings with no Holds or Sells, earning it a consensus Strong Buy status on Wall Street. Meanwhile, the average price target of $15.25 points to a 557% upside from current levels. (See ACHV stock forecast)

Avidity Biosciences (RNA)

The next stock catching Raymond James’ attention is Avidity Biosciences, a clinical-stage biotech firm aiming to develop a new class of RNA therapeutics – drug candidates designed to tackle the root genetic causes behind a variety of serious diseases. The company is building its pipeline using its proprietary Antibody Oligonucleotide Conjugates platform, or AOC. This platform blends the targeting abilities of monoclonal antibodies with the gene-silencing power of oligonucleotide therapies, creating agents that can home in on disease drivers at the genetic level with notable selectivity and precision. Through this approach, Avidity aims to address conditions that have long eluded effective treatment.

At present, the company’s primary targets are skeletal muscle diseases, especially within the muscular dystrophy class. Avidity has developed a robust research pipeline, which includes three lead drug candidates that are advancing through clinical trials. These three programs – Del-zota, Del-desiran, and Del-brax – are each aimed at specific muscle disorders: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), respectively.

Each of these candidates has shown solid progress. Del-zota, Avidity’s program for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, has demonstrated strong increases in exon skipping and dystrophin production, along with an encouraging safety profile. Based on these results, the company expects to submit its first Biologics License Application (BLA) for del-zota by year-end.

Meanwhile, del-desiran has delivered impressive data in early clinical trials, with patients experiencing not only reductions in toxic RNA but also meaningful signs of functional improvement. These encouraging results have been further supported by the ongoing MARINA-OLE extension study, which continues to show sustained benefit with longer-term treatment. On the strength of these findings, the program advanced into the pivotal Phase 3 HARBOR trial. The company previously noted that enrollment would be completed by mid-2025, setting the stage for comprehensive data readouts in the first half of 2026.

Rounding out the pipeline, the del‑brax program for FSHD is also advancing steadily. Initial data from the FORTITUDE study demonstrated significant reductions in DUX4 gene expression, and with an FDA‑validated accelerated approval pathway now in place, Avidity launched the pivotal FORWARD Phase 3 trial. This global, 18‑month, randomized, placebo‑controlled study is expected to deliver topline results by H2 2026.

With all three programs advancing toward key clinical and regulatory milestones, Raymond James analyst Martin Auster sees strong prospects for success here.

“We have high conviction in del-zota (DMD44) to become the first approved drug from Avidity’s antibody oligonucleotide conjugate (AOC) platform. Del-desiran (DM1) has been derisked through Ph1/2 biomarker and functional data, and a positive Ph 3 outcome in ~H1 2026 could be transformative for Avidity given del-desiran’s first-mover potential and a large DM1 market opportunity (~$5B+ TAM). Del-brax has an even larger potential first-mover advantage in FSHD (opportunity for a strong competitive moat); we project accelerated approval in 2027 supported by cDUX biomarker data and 12-month placebo-controlled functional data,” Auster stated.

Auster’s high conviction is reflected in his Strong Buy rating on RNA and a $65 price target, which suggests a potential 107% upside from current levels. (To watch Auster’s track record, click here)

That’s far from the only upbeat take on this stock. RNA enjoys a Strong Buy consensus, based on 18 recent analyst ratings – with 17 Buys and just a single Hold. At its current price of $31.45, the stock’s average target price of $64.44 suggests RNA could surge ~105% in value over the next year. (See RNA 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.