5 Top Penny Stocks This Week with Gains as High as 100%

Investors who spotted one of this week's top penny stocks are now sitting on a gain of more than 100% in the last month alone.

That's why we follow the top penny stocks trading today. They have the opportunity to bring investors triple-digit gains in a very short period of time.

Penny stocks are defined as stocks trading under $5. But at Money Morning, we focus on penny stocks listed on major exchanges like the NYSE and Nasdaq. That's because they carry much less risk than penny stocks that trade over-the-counter or on the Pink Sheets.

Still, penny stock investing involves risks. While penny stocks can bring huge profits, they can also be highly volatile. That's why Money Morning experts advise that penny stocks should only represent a small percentage of any portfolio. One stock should never account for more than 2% of your investing capital.

Here's a look at this week's five top penny stocks and the huge profits they've brought investors...

This Week's Top Penny Stock Movers

Top Penny StocksTop Penny Stocks, No. 1: Truett-Hurst Inc. (Nasdaq: THST) is a California company that produces, markets, and sells wines primarily in the United States. The company operates through wholesale, direct to consumer, and Internet segments. It offers its products primarily under the brand names of Truett-Hurst, VML, Healdsburg Ranches, Colby Red, and Bradford Mountain. Products are sold through its tasting rooms and wine clubs, as well as online, through distributors, and through retailers. The holiday season is a key time for THST. Shares now trade at $1.85, which is up 100% in the last month.

Continue reading for four more of this week's top penny stocks...

 Top Penny Stocks, No. 2: Kitov Pharmaceuticals Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq ADR: KTOV) is an Israel-based innovative biopharmaceutical company focused on late-stage drug development. Tuesday, KTOV reported its leading drug candidate, KIT-302, successfully met the primary efficacy endpoint of the trial protocol as approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Data from the trial further revealed that KIT-302 was more effective at reducing hypertension than the widely used hypertension drug amlodipine besylate. KTOV plans to file its New Drug Application (NDA) for marketing approval of KIT-302 with the FDA in the second half of 2016. Shares surged more than 56%, or nearly $2, to $5.45 Tuesday.

Top Penny Stocks, No. 3: Staffing 360 Solutions Inc. (Nasdaq: STAF) provides staffing and consultancy services in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The New York-based company offers professional services in risk management, financial, internal audit, and information technology (IT) solutions. In early November, STAF completed the acquisition of London-based IT staffing firm The JM Group. The company's annualized revenue run rate is now expected to exceed $170 million on a consolidated basis. An improved job market has benefited STAF as well. Shares jumped 28.39% to $5.19 Tuesday.

Top Penny Stocks, No. 4: 22nd Century Group Inc. (NYSEMKT: XXII) is a plant biotechnology company. Its focus is on tobacco harm reduction and smoking cessation products produced from modifying the nicotine content in tobacco plants through genetic engineering and plant breeding. In late October, XXII announced it is exporting multiple varieties of its proprietary tobacco seeds to Central America for testing and possible expanded agricultural production. In mid-October, XXII reported it entered into a new cannabis research collaboration with strategic partner Anandia Laboratories. As part of the research collaboration, Anandia will develop and grow new cannabis strains. Shares popped 20% Tuesday to $1.46.

Top Penny Stocks, No. 5: Vanguard Natural Resources LLC (Nasdaq: VNR) acquires and develops oil and natural gas properties in the United States. It owns properties and oil and natural gas reserves primarily in nine operating basins, including the Permian Basin. VNR shares have plunged over the last year from a high of $19.50 to a low of $2.41 amid an unrelenting rout in oil and natural gas prices. Before a modest bounce Monday, oil prices dipped to a seven-year low, and natural gas prices sank to levels not seen in 14 years. Thanks to a rebound in oil prices Tuesday, VNR shares climbed 17% to $2.86.

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