10 Top Penny Stocks to Watch This Week Include This 135% Gainer

top penny stocks to watch this weekVistaGen Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: VTGN) is among the top penny stocks to watch this week after climbing 135% in just three trading sessions last week.

VistaGen is a San Francisco-based clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing drugs to treat depression and other central nervous system disorders.

Last Wednesday (Dec. 6), the company received a patent for certain methods of production of its phase 2 antidepressant, AV-101.

Penny Stock Current Share Price Dec. 4 - Dec. 8 Gain (as of Dec. 8)
VistaGen Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: VTGN) $1.80 135%
FXCM Inc. (Nasdaq: GLBR) $1.12 124%
Neuralstem Inc. (Nasdaq: CUR) $2.00 75.44%
Ohr Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: OHRP) $1.49 75.29%
ClearSign Combustion Corp. (Nasdaq: CLIR) $3.50 53.85%
Astrotech Corp. (Nasdaq: ASTC) $4.21 51.99%
Burcon NutraScience Corp. (Nasdaq: BUR) $0.72 44%
LM Funding America Inc. (Nasdaq: LMFA) $3.72 42.53%
Second Sight Medical Products Inc. (Nasdaq: EYES) $1.75 42.28%
Globus Maritime Ltd. (Nasdaq: GLBS) $1.47 41.35%

As a result, its share price shot up from $0.92 to $2.52 on Wednesday. The stock pulled back to $1.80 by the end of the week, for a total gain of 135% for the week.

While VTGN's 135% gain was impressive, we're recommending a different stock to our readers today. The company we'll show you today has beaten analyst earnings expectations by an average of 40.5% in the last four quarters, and we expect more earnings growth going forward.

But before we show you our pick, here are the top 10 penny stocks to watch this week...

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While the triple-digit gains these penny stocks delivered in just five trading sessions look attractive, they come at a risk.

You see, most penny stocks are speculative investments, which can have huge price swings in a short amount of time. In this case, after climbing from $0.92 to $2.52 on Wednesday, VTGN shares fell to $1.87 by closing. And on Monday, after opening at $1.80, shares fell another $0.61, to $1.19. If you had bought in at the top, you'd be looking at losses of 52.77%.

Our Money Morning experts are more interested in finding companies that will increase in value over the long term.

That's where Money Morning Small-Cap Specialist Sid Riggs comes in.

He's an expert at bringing readers profit opportunities with massive potential at an affordable price. Consider his pick from December 2013 - Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. (Nasdaq: NBIX). NBIX was trading for just $9 per share when Sid recommended it, and now it has surged 702.77%, to $72.25.

Today, Sid recommends a medical device company whose products are used to test for HIV as well as to treat benign skin lesions through freezing.

It's the first company to sell an at-home HIV testing kit. But that's only part of the story.

Here's why this stock could take off next year...

The Best Small-Cap Medical Stock to Buy Before 2018

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The pick is OraSure Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: OSUR), which develops medical devices that detect conditions like HIV, Zika, and influenza. The company also sells drug-screening products to detect narcotics or alcohol in a person's system.

OraSure also offers a line of over-the-counter cryosurgical devices. These let people apply intense cold to lesions, warts, and other benign spots on the skin to remove unwanted or infected tissue.

The company has a broad range of FDA-approved products. In 2010 and 2011, the FDA approved the company's blood and fingerstick HCV tests, respectively. And in 2012, its OraQuick at-home HIV test was approved.

Sid first recommended OraSure on Feb. 24, when it traded at $11.12 per share. Since then, shares are up 55.12%, to $17.25 today (Monday, Dec. 11).

But Sid keeps recommending OSUR because analysts keep underrating it. Meaning it's still a great value stock to buy today...

Since Q4 2016, OraSure has demolished analysts' earnings estimates by an average of 40.5%. As the market for HIV tests keeps growing, Sid predicts the company's winning streak of earnings reports will only continue.

"Analysts have almost perennially underestimated the company's potential - something they won't do for long," Sid said. "Which is why you don't want to delay for a New York minute if you're as interested as I am."

Up Next: Never Miss a Penny Stock Opportunity Again

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Here's everything you need to know.

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