Top 5 Penny Companies To Watch In Right Now

According to the SEC, a penny stock is one that trades below $5 per share. That definition offers a much broader array of companies than those stocks that the "pump-and-dump" crowd would like to see you get caught up in. There are actually some really solid businesses that sell for less than $5 a share; though, I will warn you, they are not without risk.

Pure play on pure water
Environmental services and frack water treatment company,�Heckmann (NYSE: HEK  ) trades at less than $4 a share. There's a reason for that low share price ��the company's business model clouds the market's perception of its future value. Until the company can clear that up, the shares likely will stay in penny stock territory.

The concerns with Heckmann are twofold. First, the market views its business as being tied to the growth of fracking for natural gas. What the market misses is that 70% of the company's shale solutions revenue is tied to the development of oil and natural gas liquids. The market also sees the company's financials being muddied by a steady stream of acquisitions. However, what it misses is that those acquisitions are what's shifted the revenue mix into the major oil- and liquids-focused plays.

Top 5 Penny Companies To Watch In Right Now: Universal Travel Group(UTA)

Universal Travel Group, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a travel service provider offering air ticketing and hotel booking services, as well as domestic and international packaged tourism services via the Internet, customer representatives, and kiosks in the People?s Republic of China. It also provides technological solutions to travel reservations, and tour planning and tour guide services. In addition, the company operates TRIPEASY Kiosks, which are placed in hotels, office buildings, banks, shopping malls, and MTR stations for travel booking with credit cards or bank debit cards. Universal Travel Group is headquartered in Shenzhen, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Louis Navellier]

  As China’s economy grows, the Chinese middle class has taken flight — literally. Providing the travel arrangements for this newfound class of Chinese travelers is Universal Travel Group (UTA).

  The company provides domestic and international airline ticketing services, along with cargo transportation agency services. But it’s not just flights that UTA helps citizens book. The company also provides hotel reservations, tour planning, ground transportation, railway and express delivery and air delivery services.

  UTA is the travel agency in China, and considering the shares have booked a 190% gain over the past 12 months, it certainly seems like the sky is the limit for UTA.

  I rate UTA an A, making it a strong buy.

Top 5 Penny Companies To Watch In Right Now: New Energy Systems Group.(NEWN)

New Energy Systems Group, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and distributes lithium battery shells and related products primarily in China. It develops, customizes, and produces steel and aluminum battery shells and caps. The company principally serves large lithium battery manufacturers. It also engages in the research, manufacture, and sale of mobile backup power systems for mobile phones, laptops, solar, MP4, PMPs, PDAs, DC, and digital applications. The company was formerly known as China Digital Communication Group and changed its name to New Energy Systems Group in November 2009. New Energy Systems Group was incorporated in 2001 and is based in Shenzhen, China.

Hot Biotech Companies To Watch In Right Now: Mission West Properties Inc.(MSW)

Mission West Properties, Inc. engages in the acquisition, marketing, leasing, and management of research and development properties, primarily in the Silicon Valley portion of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of December 31, 2006, it owned or managed 107 properties, totaling approximately 7.7 million rentable square feet of research and development properties through limited partnerships. Mission West Properties qualifies as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. As a REIT, it would not be subject to federal income tax to the extent that it distributes at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its shareholders. The company was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California.

Top 5 Penny Companies To Watch In Right Now: Crown Media Holdings Inc.(CRWN)

Crown Media Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiary, Crown Media United States, LLC, owns, operates, and distributes pay television networks for adults and families primarily in the United States. The company operates and distributes Hallmark Channel network to approximately 87 million subscribers through approximately 5,369 cable, satellite, and other pay television distribution systems; and Hallmark Movie Channel network to approximately 45 million subscribers through approximately 2,680 cable, satellite, and other pay television distribution systems. Its networks offers a range of entertainment programming, including television series, movies, miniseries, theatricals, romances, literary classics, and contemporary stories. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Studio City, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael Brush]

  Anyone worried that Howard Stern is coarsening American culture should find comfort in the ratings of two television channels operated by Crown Media (CRWN).

  Don't know the name? Think the Hallmark Channel, which ranked 16th during the day and 18th for prime-time viewership last year, among 78 ad-supported cable channels. Or the Hallmark Movie Channel, with an impressive 40 million subscribers, twice as many as Stern's radio company.

  Hallmark channels feature squeaky-clean TV series like "Little House on the Prairie" and "Touched by an Angel," movies like "The Five People You Meet in Heaven"  and original movies like "A Family Thanksgiving." They also rerun "Hallmark Hall of Fame" programs developed for network broadcast, like "The Magic of Ordinary Days" and "Plainsong."

  Programs like these may not be everyone's cup of tea, but advertisers love the demographic they deliver: women ages 24 to 59.

  Ratings did slip slightly last year, one reason the stock has not been a great performer. But it was a year of transition for Crown, which introduced a new "lifestyle" block of programming during the daytime at the Hallmark Channel. The new lineup boasts "The Martha Stewart Show," among other programs.

  Viewers took a while to warm up, but a holiday-season ratings romp shows Crown has not lost its touch. The Hallmark Channel was the top destination for prime time on Saturday nights during the holiday season, and its programming posted ratings gains of 40% to 80% in its target demographic. December ratings at the Hallmark Movie Channel were up 70%, compared with the rest of the quarter. As a result, Crown saw revenue jump 17% in the quarter.

  One risk here is that Crown loses the "Hallmark" brand it licenses from Hallmark Cards -- but that's unlikely, because the card company owns most of the stock.

Top 5 Penny Companies To Watch In Right Now: Investors Capital Holdings Ltd.(ICH)

Investors Capital Holdings, Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides various financial services in the United States. It provides broker-dealer services in support of trading and investment in securities, such as corporate stocks and bonds, the U.S. government securities, municipal bonds, mutual funds, and variable annuities, as well as variable life insurance, including provision of market information, Internet trading and portfolio tracking facilities, and records management. The company also offers investment advisory services, such as asset allocation and portfolio rebalancing services. Investors Capital Holdings, Ltd. was founded in 1995 and is based in Lynnfield, Massachusetts.