April's Best Penny Stocks Delivered Gains Near 900%

The best penny stocks by share-price gains in April climbed as high as 893%. In fact, every stock on this list of top performers more than doubled last month.

Best penny stocksThat's what makes penny stock investing so attractive. Portfolio-changing gains can happen overnight - if you know where to look.

Check out April's batch of top penny stocks and how high each one climbed...

5 Best Penny Stocks from April 2014

Best Penny Stock No. 1: Protide Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTCMKTS: PPMD) is the biggest penny stock gainer on this list, climbing 893% in the month of April. PPMD is a biotech company that deals with clinical cell therapy, regenerative medicine, cell engineering, transfusion medicine, and transplants. Stem cell research is a primary focus of the company. Based in Lake Zurich, Ill., Protide has a market cap of just $600,000. In April, the stock gained $0.13. PPMD has a 52-week range of $0.00 to $0.20.

Best Penny Stock No. 2: First Trust Dorsey Wright Focus 5 ETF (Nasdaq: FV) is a fund that seeks results that correspond with the price and yield of the Dorsey Wright Focus Five Index. FV was launched on March 5, 2014, and took off in the month of April when it posted an 855% gain. In mid-April, the fund announced that it had reached $134 million in assets just six weeks after its inception. The stock is no longer considered a penny stock, trading above $18.50 per share, but it started the month of April below $2.

Best Penny Stock No. 3: Maverick Minerals Corp. (OTCMKTS: MVRM) is an exploration-stage company that develops prospective oil and gas properties primarily in Texas. In the month of April, MVRM stock gained 180%. The penny stock started the month of April at approximately $0.10 per share and ended the month at $0.28 per share. At one point in April, MVRM was trading as high as $0.76 per share. The stock has a 52-week range of $0.03 to $3.55, and the company has a market cap just under $3.5 million.

Best Penny Stock No. 4: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp. (OTCMKTS: ESCC) earns a spot on the list with a gain of 128% in the month of April. ESCC operates in an unusual market, developing display systems for use in full-dome video projection applications like planetariums, science centers, and schools. The company saw a spike in share prices when it announced that its quarterly revenue had increased to $8.5 million, from $5.4 million in the previous year. At the same time, the company announced a quarterly profit of $1 million, compared to a loss of $1.1 million the year before. ESCC finished the month just under $0.50 per share and has a 52-week range of $0.04 to $0.71.

Best Penny Stock No. 5: New Leaf Brands Inc. (OTCMKTS: NLEF) is a beverage holding company that acquires brands, distributors, and manufacturers in the beverage industry, but is known mostly for its namesake brand New Leaf. NLEF trades in fractions of pennies and ended the month of April at approximately $0.006 per share. While that share value is incredibly low, the stock actually gained 114% in the month of April. The company has a market cap of $1.84 million and the stock has a 52-week high of $0.04.

Do you invest in penny stocks? Which penny stock is poised for the next great run? Share your thoughts on Twitter @moneymorning using #PennyStocks.

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