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RLAY

Is Relay Therapeutics a Buy in 2026? One Institutional Investor Just Made a $6 Million Bet.

March 19, 2026 — 03:23 pm EDT

Written by

Andy Gould for

The Motley Fool->

Key Points

- Nextech Invest increased its stake in Relay Therapeutics by 855,097 shares; the estimated trade value was ~$6.1 million based on average quarterly pricing.

- Quarter-end position value rose by $19.7 million, reflecting both new share purchases and stock price moves.

- The transaction represented 0.59% of 13F reportable assets under management.

- Post-trade holding: 4,701,506 shares, valued at $39.77 million.

- Relay Therapeutics now accounts for 3.85% of Nextech Invest, Ltd.’s 13F AUM, placing it outside the fund’s top five holdings.

- 10 stocks we like better than Relay Therapeutics ›

What happened

According to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing dated Feb. 17, 2026, Nextech Invest, Ltd. bought 855,097 additional shares of Relay Therapeutics (NASDAQ:RLAY). The estimated transaction value for the period, based on the average unadjusted closing price for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2025, was approximately $6.1 million. The fund’s quarter-end position value increased by $19.7 million, reflecting both share purchases and changes in market price.

What else to know

- This purchase brings Relay Therapeutics to 3.9% of Nextech’s reportable 13F assets under management.

- Top holdings after the filing:- NASDAQ:RVMD: $605.43 million (58.5% of AUM)

- NASDAQ:TYRA: $106.63 million (10.3% of AUM)

- NASDAQ:TNGX: $64.38 million (6.2% of AUM)

- NASDAQ:ORIC: $58.59 million (5.7% of AUM)

- NASDAQ:ZYME: $29.33 million (2.8% of AUM)

- As of March 17, 2026, shares of Relay Therapeutics were priced at $9.93, up 197% over the past year, outperforming the S&P 500 by 181 percentage points.

Company Overview

MetricValuePrice (as of market close 3/18/26)$9.93Market capitalization$1.77 billionRevenue (TTM)$15.4 millionNet income (TTM)($276.5 million)Company Snapshot

- Relay Therapeutics develops precision medicines, with a pipeline focused on small molecule therapeutics for oncology and genetic diseases, including lead candidates RLY-4008 and RLY-2608.

- The company operates a clinical-stage business model, generating revenue primarily through collaboration and license agreements with pharmaceutical partners and leveraging proprietary computational modeling for drug discovery.

- Relay Therapeutics targets biopharmaceutical companies and healthcare providers involved in the treatment of advanced cancer and genetic diseases, with a focus on patients who require novel targeted therapies.

What this transaction means for investors

Nextech Invest's decision to add roughly $6 million worth of Relay Therapeutics shares is notable for a few reasons.

Nextech is a Switzerland-based investment firm known for its highly concentrated bets on clinical-stage biotech companies. One look at their portfolio tells you that clearly: a single holding -- Revolution Medicines (NASDAQ:RVMD) -- makes up nearly 59% of their entire reportable portfolio. This is a specialist fund that bets big when it has conviction. Against that backdrop, adding roughly $6 million in Relay Therapeutics reflects a deliberate increase in exposure, but still represents a relatively modest slice of Nextech’s overall portfolio. The larger position in Relay still doesn’t crack Nextech’s top-5 holdings.

Relay Therapeutics itself has had a remarkable run, nearly tripling over the past year. The company's computational drug discovery platform has drawn attention for its potential to de-risk early pipeline development -- a meaningful edge in an industry where most drugs fail before they reach patients.

For everyday investors, this type of institutional accumulation can serve as a useful data point -- not a buy signal in itself, but a reminder that sophisticated, sector-focused funds are paying attention. Investors looking for broader exposure to oncology-focused biotech without single-stock risk might consider sector ETFs like the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (NYSEMKT:XBI) or the iShares Biotechnology ETF (NASDAQ:IBB) as a way to participate in the space more broadly. For those with higher risk tolerance, Relay's pipeline progress -- especially with RLY-2608 and RLY-4008 -- will be worth watching closely in 2026.

Should you buy stock in Relay Therapeutics right now?

Before you buy stock in Relay Therapeutics, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Relay Therapeutics wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monste