Screening Filters
Market Cap: 50,000,000 – 1,500,000,000 USD
- Purpose: Focus on smaller companies typical of “penny stocks” while avoiding the riskiest micro/nano-caps.
- Rationale:
- Penny stocks are usually small-cap or micro-cap. Setting a lower bound of $50M filters out extremely tiny, often highly speculative or shell companies that can be very easily manipulated.
- Capping at $1.5B keeps the universe in the smaller-company range, consistent with what most investors mean when they say “penny stock,” and avoids larger, more established companies that might still trade cheap temporarily but aren’t usually called penny stocks.
Price: 0.20 – 5.00 USD
- Purpose: Directly capture the price range generally referred to as “penny stocks.”
- Rationale:
- Many investors and brokers define penny stocks as those trading under $5 per share.
- The minimum price of $0.20 excludes ultra-low-priced “sub-penny” style stocks that are often highly speculative, very illiquid, and subject to extreme manipulation.
- The maximum of $5 aligns with the common regulatory/investor threshold for penny stocks, matching your request.
Monthly Average Dollar Volume: ≥ 1,000,000 USD
- Purpose: Ensure there is enough trading activity (liquidity) to enter and exit positions reasonably.
- Rationale:
- Dollar volume = price × volume; a $1M+ monthly average indicates a meaningful amount of money changing hands.
- This helps avoid illiquid penny stocks where spreads are wide, orders may not fill, and prices can be pushed around easily—key risks in this segment of the market.
- For a “best” candidate, tradability matters as much as price level.
1-Month Price Change %: 10% – 150%
- Purpose: Target penny stocks that are showing recent positive momentum, but avoid the most extreme, potentially blow-off moves.
- Rationale:
- A minimum of +10% over the past month selects stocks that are gaining interest and have upward price action, which can be a sign of improving sentiment, news catalysts, or fundamental changes.
- Capping the move at +150% avoids the most parabolic names that may already have “run too far too fast” and could be at higher risk of sharp reversals or purely speculative spikes.
- This range balances upside momentum with some attempt to reduce the most extreme risk.
List Exchange: XNYS, XNAS, XASE (NYSE, NASDAQ, NYSE American)
- Purpose: Limit the universe to penny stocks listed on major US exchanges.
- Rationale:
- Major exchanges (NYSE, NASDAQ, NYSE American) have stricter listing and reporting standards than OTC or “pink sheet” markets.
- This helps filter out many of the lowest-quality, lightly regulated penny stocks and focuses on companies providing audited financials and better transparency.
- For a “best penny stock” shortlist, this typically improves overall quality and reduces some structural risks.
Region: United States
- Purpose: Match your request specifically to the US stock market.
- Rationale:
- Restricts the universe to US-listed companies, aligning with your geographic preference.
- Avoids foreign listings or ADRs that might add extra layers of currency, regulatory, or geopolitical risk beyond what you asked for.
Why Results Match Your Request
- The price filter (≤ $5) is directly aligned with the common definition of a “penny stock.”
- The market cap and exchange filters ensure the stocks are genuinely small-cap, US-listed names, while avoiding the most speculative, least-transparent corners of the market.
- The liquidity filter (≥ $1M monthly dollar volume) makes the results practically tradable, which is crucial when talking about what’s “best” to buy, not just what exists.
- The positive 1‑month performance filter screens for names that are actively moving and attracting attention now, consistent with “currently” in your question.
These filters, taken together, don’t guarantee which stock is “the best,” but they build a focused, higher-quality universe of US penny stocks that are reasonably liquid, currently exhibiting positive momentum, and listed on major exchanges—an appropriate starting point for choosing one to buy. Further fundamental and risk analysis would then be used to decide which is actually most suitable for you.
This list is generated based on data from one or more third party data providers. It is provided for informational purposes only by Intellectia.AI, and is not investment advice or a recommendation. Intellectia does not make any warranty or guarantee relating to the accuracy, timeliness or completeness of any third-party information, and the provision of this information does not constitute a recommendation.