Penny Stocks and Investments

Penny stocks: Penny stocks are the small value shares that are generally preferred by many people for investments. These shares can easily be purchased in pennies and that’s why are preferred for investments. However the investment in penny stocks is risky as you are not aware about the nature and background of the company where you are investing your money. Therefore all the precautions must be taken before investing in penny stocks and a thorough research about the company offering penny stocks is helpful in deciding in favor or against a specific penny stock.

Investment in penny stocks: A wise decision and through research about the penny stocks can be rewarding otherwise this is the highly risky market. You have to be careful and should never purchase the stocks being offered to you almost free or even in a few pennies. There are some good stocks on offer and in past a few stocks offered at 10 to 20 cents have crossed the five dollar mark although majority of stocks fails to do so.

Many people see the investment in penny stocks as an opportunity to earn a few dollars at the same time invest low amount so that the risk is minimal. People get learning experience while trading in penny stocks. People also develop some research skill about the companies offering penny stocks. It is good to learn about stock market by investing a small amount and therefore the basics of investment and trading can be easily understood.

Precautions: As investment in penny stocks is highly risky and therefore some precautions are necessary to avoid loss in this market. As the information about penny stocks do not come from reliable source, you should get the second opinion from another broker before making any investment in the particular penny stocks. Do not purchase the stocks in hurry as most of the time the broker will not give you sufficient time to make a decision. Think twice before making any investment and do not invest too much in a single stock.

You may get emails or phone calls about some of the penny stocks. The brokers or companies pay for such phone calls or email spammers and therefore you should avoid investing in such stocks. Many times lot of rumors is spread about some of the penny stocks and you should be alert and never pay attention to such rumors. It is better to consult financial consult or take second opinion before investing in any penny stock. Many times companies or broker may mislead you y offering free stocks or newsletters, you should avoid all such offers.

Summary: Many penny stocks has grown tremendously in the past from a mare 10 or 20 cent and crossed $5.0 mark. A lot of rumors prevails in the penny stock market so a wise decision can give you some profit otherwise you may lose your money.

Penny Stock Returns

Why do people invest in penny stocks if they are so risky? The answer lies in a few facts as well as a few misconceptions about penny stocks.  First let us look at the positive side of how penny stocks can be more profitable.

It is a well-known fact in finance that risk and return have a positive correlation. This means that an investment that carries greater risk will also give higher returns. The reason for this is very easy to understand and is almost intuitive. Suppose you had $10,000 to invest and two options A and B. Option A is a secure government bond that gives you 5% return, while option B is a higher risk investment in a company that will pay you only if it makes profits. Assume that this company has a history of making 5% Profits over several years and is likely to continue on the same lines.

That is, you can expect to get a return of 5% in future years, but that is subject to the company making the same level of profits. Where would you invest your money? If the returns are likely to be the same and if you are a sane person, you would obviously invest in the risk free option. Now suppose, options B were to pay you not 5% but 15% consistently, you might be tempted to put your money in it. In other words, a higher return can make you to invest in a riskier venture.

Since penny stocks are higher risk alternatives compared to regular stocks, the only way they can attract investment is by holding out a promise of higher return. How would a penny stock offer a higher return? This will be done not directly by the stock or the company, but by market forces. The market price of a stock is fixed on the basis of a few factors such as its intrinsic value and the return yielded by it. The market price of a stock divided by the return it gives is known as the price-earnings ratio.

For example, if $10 stocks were to be traded in the market at $20, and the company earns a net income per share of $1, the price-earnings ratio is 20. The price-earnings ratio will be higher for solid stocks that are known to be backed up by good management, have a history of consistent and good performance, and are perceived to be stable. The price-earnings ratio for stocks that are riskier, unknown and do not enjoy a positive perception will be much lower. This means that as against the example of price-earnings ratio of 20 that we assumed for a stable and well-known stock, a penny stock may have a much lower price-earnings ratio, say 3 or 4. Actual figures will depend on a number of other factors also.

Because of this, a penny stock will be priced lower for the same level of net income, and will therefore yield a higher return on the investment.

Penny stock picks

Penny stocks- an introduction:  If you are well aware about penny stocks and want to invest some money in penny stocks, you will be interested to know how to pick penny stocks. You will find a list of many stocks being traded at the website of pink sheets and will be interested to invest in some of the future Microsoft or Wal-Mart. This may happen only if the investor picks a right penny stock otherwise he or she may lose the amount.

Limited information for penny stocks: It is really very difficult to find information on penny stocks, as there are reliable sources with us. First of all the information provided by the company may not be the correct one and suppose if the information provided is correct, it may not be relevant.

For penny stocks we are not sure how to find information about the companies offering penny stocks. These companies have to provide a very little information to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and get easily listed at pink sheets. These companies are therefore not regulated by SEC, as is the case with companies listed at NASDAQ or NYSE. Furthermore the history of the companies listed at penny stocks is not available. The companies may be bankrupt or new having no experience of business and thus can be highly risky. A new investor should therefore carry out the research about the companies before putting their hard earned money into the market.

The next restriction on penny stocks is the limited liquidity. Sometimes it is difficult to sell the stock, as you may not find the buyer for it. Having very low liquidity, you may have to sell the stock at hefty discount causing you a heavy loss. Sometimes the brokers manipulate the penny stocks in various ways and may cause you sever loss so until and unless you do not understand the basics of stock market avoid investing large amount in penny stocks.

Chances of fraud: As the companies offering penny stocks are not scrutinized or regulated by government agencies or The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), penny stocks are more prone to fraud. Most of the times the companies spread rumors about their financial performance and other related issues to mislead the investors. Many times these companies take the help of media such as newspapers, radio or email and hype about the penny stocks offered by them. You may get several emails (spam) from their agents as well. These companies also pay for some financial consult for recommending their penny stocks to the investors.

Picking the right penny stock: Although the market of penny stock is highly risky, good companies are also available at OTCBB and pink sheets. The actual understanding is needed to identify the good penny stock and a lot of research is needed before putting money in penny stocks.

Summary: Picking of a right penny stock is the key factors for earning and you should ensure yourself that you are picking the right penny stock. Sometimes a little research can help you picking a right penny stock.