October's 4 Best Penny Stocks: High-Risk, High-Reward Picks

Key Points

• Penny stocks offer a high-risk, high-reward prospect for investors willing to tolerate their illiquidity and volatility.
• Still, these companies make it possible for investors to reap significant rewards for a minimal investment.
• When considering penny stocks, it's important to be aware of scams and companies that have suffered significant share declines due to adverse fundamentals.

Most investors' definition of a penny stock has broadened to include not just companies trading at less than $1 per share, but also those with slightly higher stock prices up to about $5 per share. Regardless of your exact threshold, these firms remain a high-risk, high-reward proposition. Companies in the penny stock category are often newly-established and untested, or are heading toward bankruptcy, or are otherwise less stable than higher-value stocks. Many penny stocks lack liquidity and are the target of scammers looking to execute a pump-and-dump scheme or something similar.

On the other hand, though, penny stocks do offer investors the possibility of a significant reward at a low cost. Being able to load up on affordable shares of an up-and-coming company before it breaks out is an attractive draw of the penny stock market for many investors. When selecting penny stocks, then, it's crucial to consider companies with solid fundamentals and a compelling case for growth.

ALUR: Solid Weight Loss Management Program

Allurion Technologies Inc. NYSE: ALUR offers a program designed to help patients lose weight via a procedure less intragastric balloon. The weight loss management market is expected to more than double from 2023 to 2032 to a size of more than $328 billion. Allurion recently set itself apart from competitors in this field with a positive systematic review and meta-analysis of its program in October, which found that the treatment is both safe and effective.

Allurion reported roughly 25% quarter-over-quarter revenue growth in the latest quarter despite headwinds, including regulatory barriers in France. Analysts overwhelmingly view the company as a Buy, with an average price target of $2.88, about four times the current price level.

LUCD: Strong Trajectory in an Untapped Market

Lucid Diagnostics Inc. NASDAQ: LUCD is a medical diagnostics company providing a tool to check for precancer among patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD affects some 20% of people across the U.S.

Lucid's flagship EsoGuard test product is growing rapidly in popularity; the company reported a 31% quarter-over-quarter increase in tests performed for the second quarter of the year. Lucid's revenue trajectory has been strong as well, as revenue roughly quintupled year-over-year for the most recent period. Lucid seems poised to capture a significant portion of a U.S. market estimated to be worth $25 billion.

KULR: Key Role in Green Energy and Data Center Spaces

KULR Technology Group Inc. NYSEAMERICAN: KULR develops thermal shields, screening and test systems, and other equipment for batteries. The company is emerging as a leader in the transition toward sustainable energy management. It recently announced a landmark $2.4-million extension of its prior contract with the U.S. Army and a similarly-sized licensing agreement for its vibration reduction technology KULR Xero Vibe.

The latter of these agreements is particularly notable, as the licensee will use KULR's technology to aid in cooling data centers. Given the continuing and dramatic growth of both the green energy and data center markets, KULR is establishing itself as a go-to firm in multiple important industries.

GEVO: Renewable Natural Gas Leader

Renewable fuels maker Gevo Inc. NASDAQ: GEVO has an average trading volume of 5.2 million shares, making it among the more liquid penny stocks available at this time. It's no surprise, too, given that the company has reaped the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act, which has funneled money toward the renewable energy industry. Gevo shares are up more than 48% in the last year.

While Gevo's primary operations are in aviation fuel, its renewable natural gas (RNG) business is also growing rapidly. In the most recent quarter, the company produced a record-setting annualized 400,000 British thermal units of RNG. Further, its subsidiary Verity is a leader in AI-based supply chain management, an essential component of the renewable fuel industry. Analysts have assigned Gevo an average price target of $5.68, more than triple its current value.

Penny Stock Volatility

Timing the market is always a daunting task, but this is especially so for penny stocks, which are known to be highly volatile. Given the low prices of penny stocks, even a small adjustment up or down represents a significant stock movement, which can mislead investors.