The 10 Top Penny Stock Gainers of September 2017

The following list includes the 10 top penny stock gainers of September 2017, with every penny stock rising at least 67.4% so far this month.

And for investors looking ahead, we'll show you our latest small-cap stock pick right after the list. It's a data firm set to profit from the "cashless banking" industry, which could explode 716% into an $865 billion industry by 2021...

Top Penny Stock Current Share Price September 2017 Return (as of Sept. 18)
Net Element International Inc. (Nasdaq: NETE) $0.68 +142.6%
Aldeyra Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: ALDX) $8.85 +113.3%
ZAIS Group Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: ZAIS) $3.73 +101.6%
CASI Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: CASI) $1.83 +90.6%
PAVmed Inc. (Nasdaq: PAVM) $7.85 +82.4%
Neovasc Inc. (Nasdaq: NVCN) $1.41 +78.5%
Oncobiologics Inc. (Nasdaq: ONS) $1.50 +72.4%
SAExploration Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: SAEX) $2.74 +72.2%
Dimension Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: DMTX) $5.70 +67.7%
Enphase Energy Inc. (Nasdaq: ENPH) $1.54 +67.4%

The biggest penny stock gainer of September by return is Net Element International Inc., which processes mobile payments and other transactions. Shares of NETE stock are up 142.6%, from $0.27 at the close of Aug. 31 to $0.68 today. Those triple-digit gains came after the company announced it would stop charging fees on certain transactions.

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On Sept. 7, Net Element's subsidiary, Unified Payments, said it's launching a zero-fee program. This will let small- and medium-sized U.S. businesses use the firm's processing services for no charge.

top penny stock gainers of September 2017Unified's program - called "Zero Pay" - is the first and only "no-cost" processing program for mobile point-of-sale ("mPOS") transactions. After Unified Payments announced its no-cost program for mPOS devices, investors bought NETE stock in hopes the free program will bolster Net Element's customer growth.

But we don't recommend buying NETE stock. That's because NETE - and the other penny stocks on the list - have already brought in big returns (at least 67%), and we aren't expecting these stocks to go much higher. Here at Money Morning, we're more concerned with finding stocks with profit potential ahead of them, rather than behind them.

And we have one for our readers today...

Money Morning Small-Cap Specialist Sid Riggs recommends a stock poised to grow alongside the rapidly expanding mobile payment - or "cashless banking" - industry. This refers to more people starting to conduct transactions like check deposits on their phones rather than at their local bank.

Sid's data shows that cashless banking is growing at an incredible pace. In the next four years, the total market value for companies that make these transactions happen is expected to increase 716% to $865 billion.

Here's today's pick...

The Best Small-Cap Stock to Make Money from "Cashless Banking"

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VASCO Data Security International Inc. (Nasdaq: VDSI) is a great small-cap stock to buy right now.

VASCO provides encryption services for companies that offer or use digital and mobile banking. Their most popular services include electronic signatures and mobile app security. The company's over 10,000 customers include healthcare companies, government agencies, and multinational banks, including BCR, which is Romania's largest bank by clientele.

But the best part about VASCO is how its services will be absolutely essential as the cashless banking trend explodes...

According to Riggs, the combined market value for companies that make mobile banking possible could grow 716% to $865 billion in just the next four years. Not to mention that up to as many as 2 billion people will use their mobile devices to conduct bank transactions in just two years.

That means there could be as many as 285.7 million mobile transactions every day by then, if each person performs at least one transaction per week.

"That's a whole lot of opportunities for hackers to intercept your banking information as it travels through 'secure' networks," Riggs noted.

The growth of mobile banking will let the company expand its customer base and rake in more profits. Analyst data compiled by Yahoo Finance shows that VASCO's yearly revenue could rise from an expected $185.7 million in 2017 to $192 million in 2018.

With those estimates, it's clear that VASCO is a force to be reckoned with in the niche financial cybersecurity market. That makes VDSI one of the best small-cap stocks to buy this year.

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