Why Is This Micro-Cap Stock Surging 50% In Premarket?

• Onconetix is currently in the process of merging with Realbotix, a robotics company.
• The company announced that Realbotix robots featured in a trial by Ericsson, signaling new business.
• Stocktwits sentiment for ONCO was ‘neutral.’

Shares of Onconetix, Inc. (ONCO) surged 50% in premarket trading on Friday, following a 1-for-5 reverse stock split a day earlier and disclosures suggesting that humanoid robotics firm Realbotix – a company it is merging with – may have been purchased by Ericsson.

A Realbotix humanoid robot was featured in a live pre-standard 6G over-the-air trial conducted at Ericsson’s U.S. headquarters in Plano, Texas, according to a press release statement from Onconetix.

The robot streamed video and interacted in real time over the test network, demonstrating AI-agnostic integration for cloud and network environments.

In February, Onconetix agreed to acquire Realbotix through an all-stock share exchange that will give Realbotix’s parent a majority stake of up to 90% in the combined company. 

The deal, expected to close in the second half of 2026, effectively acts as a reverse merger with Realbotix and marks the company’s pivot from men’s health and oncology diagnostics to AI-powered humanoid robotics. 

As of the close of Thursday, Onconetix had a market capitalization of $2.3 million.

Retail traders on Stocktwits were noticing the surge in ONCO. “I'm in at $5.46; I expect it to reach $10 today,” said one user. Traders speculated that the sharp rise could be linked to the stock’s low float.

About 5 million shares of ONCO exchanged hands early Friday, five times the stock’s average trading volume. On Stocktwits, the retail sentiment for the ticker remained ‘neutral,’ unchanged from the previous day. Year to date, Onconetix shares are down nearly 60%.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.

Read Next: Micron Stock Extends Slide Despite ‘Hottest Company’ Nod From Trump