Issuer Consulting Blog

OTC stocks are those traded over-the-counter.  Some investors shy away from OTC stocks as buying and selling them requires paying a commission.  Furthermore, OTC stocks are filled at specific bid prices, meaning investors must bid above the current trading price for their order to be filled.  Overlook these barriers to entry and you will find there are plenty of OTC gems worthy of your investing dollars.  Let’s take a look at some of the top innovators in the OTC market, since the start of the millennium.

Apple (AAPL – NASDAQ)

Rewind to the early 2000s and Apple was trading at less than a dollar per share. Today, Apple is trading at $148, even after several forward splits.  Venture into public anywhere in the world and you will find people using Apple phones, earbuds, laptops and other tech devices.  Apple’s tech innovation is centered on creating consumer tech devices with a superior user experience design and longevity.  Apple is by far the most successful OTC market penny stock in the history of the stock market.

Turtle Beach Corp (HEAR – NASDAQ)

Turtle’s gaming headsets and gaming accessories have quickly become the industry’s standard for quality.  Turtle traded under $5 for years before jumping to the $20s.  Check out the reviews of Turtle’s gaming accessories and you will be impressed.  The company’s brass seized the opportunity to capitalize on a relatively barren industry niche, providing affordable headsets for the gaming community that has quickly transitioned from couch gaming to online gaming in which headsets are central to play.

Mylan.NV (VTRS – NASDAQ)

Mylan, a pharmaceuticals business, merged with a division of Pfizer last year.  However, it wasn’t always peaches and cream for this former OTC stock that initially debuted for public trading in 1973.  Take a look at Mylan’s historical charts and you will find the stock once dipped down below $6 per share.  Mylan’s worth soared to nearly $9 billion, moving to $70 per share prior to its merger.

Plug Power Inc (PLUG – NASDAQ)

Plug didn’t garner much attention until the pandemic.  Rewind to the spring of 2020 and Plug was a penny stock.  In fact, Plug was trading around a dollar per share for most of its existence as a publicly-traded company until 2020.  Today, Plug’s worth is in excess of $2 billion thanks to the ongoing society-wide transition away from gas-powered automobiles to green vehicles powered by Plug’s hydrogen fuel systems.

AMD (AMD – NASDAQ)

Advanced Micro Devices was once trading below $2 per share.  The company is now one of the largest chipmakers in the world.  AMD is trading at $119, largely because its graphics cards are used in computing and video game consoles, an industry that has exploded in popularity in recent years.  The company has enjoyed a 50% increase in revenue growth in the past two years alone.

Novavax (NVAX – NASDAQ)

Once an OTC penny stock, Novavax is trading at $134.  This pharmaceutical company has capitalized on the coronavirus pandemic, jumping from under $20 in the spring of ’20 all the way to $290 in February of ’21.

Axsome Therapeutics Inc. (AXSM – NASDAQ)

Asxome, once an OTC stock is now traded on the NASDAQ.  The company develops novel therapies for central nervous system conditions.  Check out this biotech’s historical chart and you will find it traded under $10 until the spring of ’19.  Axsome reached $101.98 in December of ’19 and now trades at $40.

Workhorse Group Inc. (WKHS – NASDAQ)

Workhorse has been in the spotlight in recent years as its “last leg” electric delivery vehicles received considerable attention from the mainstream media amidst the shift away from fossil fuels to greener modes of transportation.   Though Workhorse vehicles top out at 75 mph and the company’s drones haven’t fulfilled expectations, it has succeeded as an OTC stock.  WKHS was a penny stock for more than a decade before the transition to electric vehicles gained traction.  WKHS ascended to $40.61 earlier this year.  Though WKHS currently trades at $6.29, it is still considered an OTC market success story.

American Axle & Manufacturing (AXL – NYSE)

American Axle, a vehicle driveline and drivetrain components/systems manufacturer, traded below 50 cents per share in 2009.  The stock jumped all the way up to $25 in March of ’15 and now trades at slightly more than $10.  The company’s success is attributable to its focus on cost reduction along with agreements with its supply base for “should cost” component pricing that proves mutually beneficial for both parties.

Pier 1 Imports (PIR – NYSE, now delisted)

Though Pier 1 is no longer a publicly-traded company, it had quite the amazing run as an OTC stock. This furniture and housewares business traded at 11 cents in the spring of ’09 and soared to more than $20 per share as the economy emerged from the Great Recession.

General Growth Properties (Delisted)

General Growth was sold to Brookfield Property Real Estate Investment Trust for $15 billion in 2018.  General made its fortune through establishing an expansive portfolio of real estate primarily centered on malls.  The company leased this space to tenants.  Though General filed for bankruptcy in ’09, its portfolio of real estate still held considerable value, helping this OTC stock jump from a mere 59 cents per share to more than $20.

Medifast (MED – NYSE)

Medifast traded around $5 or less from 2000 to 2008.  The nutrition and weight loss specialist is now trading over $200.  The stock hit an impressive $246 in 2018.  The company’s success stems from self-reliance.  Medifast makes, distributes and sells its nutritional offerings on its own.  Medifast sales channels include the internet, franchised clinics, telemarketing and multi-level marketing.

Do you have an annual shareholder meeting coming up? If so, you need to place this meeting in the best position possible to be successful. Unfortunately, there are a lot of common mistakes that companies make at an annual shareholder meeting. What are a few common mistakes people make at a shareholders’ meeting, and how can you avoid them? Learn more below.

What Is an Annual Shareholder Meeting?

An annual shareholder meeting is a meeting that involves the general shareholders of a company or organization. There are some situations where this meeting could be required by law. Shareholders who have voting rights will exercise them on current issues. This could include appointments to the board of directors, dividend payments, executive compensation, and even the selection of auditors. The exact tasks of a shareholder meeting can vary from company to company, but you need to have a reliable service that can streamline the meeting for you. That way, everyone knows what’s going on, and the shareholders have a lot of confidence in the operations of the company. This could be a way for you to attract more investors as well.

22 Different Ways To Fail in Your Annual Shareholder Meeting

There are a lot of common mistakes that companies make in an annual shareholder meeting. A few common examples include:

1. Not hiring a transfer agent to oversee the mailing of notices for the meeting and tabulation
2. Not using an online voting platform to make voting easy for shareholders
3. Not complying with SEC date planning rules and Notice and Access
4. Not testing the videoconferencing or audio equipment ahead of time to make sure it is working
5. Avoiding certain portions of the proxy statement and annual meeting materials because they might make the company look bad
6. Holding a secret meeting ahead of time when we know certain shareholders are not going to be happy
7. Not checking the internet connection to ensure the connection is solid
8. Not giving shareholders enough notice before the meeting
9. Allowing meetings to go on for hours on end
10. Having meeting minutes that do not cover enough of the information from the meeting
11. Not providing a company presentation to existing investors to help nurture their interests and investments in the company
12. Not clearly explaining to voters what they are voting on and why it matters
13. Not having a way to clearly track the attendance at the meeting
14. Not thinking about the priorities of the shareholders who come to the meeting
15. Not bringing a draft of the budget to the meeting
16. Not having attorneys review all drafted documents
17. Not putting together a script for everyone to follow
18. Not defining the roles and responsibilities of the people involved in planning the meeting
19. Overpromising to shareholders, event organizers, and the staff members
20. Not anticipating questions that could come from the crowd
21. Not giving those in attendance a schedule of how the meeting the going to unfold
22. Not shaking things up from time to time in an effort to increase attendance at the meeting

You need to think about these mistakes because they could reflect poorly on the company. Some of these mistakes could even be violations of certain regulations that could open the company to potential fines and sanctions. If you would like to avoid these serious missteps, you should work with a professional service that can help you. That is where our team can assist you.

Maximize Your Annual Shareholder Meeting with Colonial’s Shareholder Meeting Services

Even though there are a lot of mistakes people make at an annual shareholder meeting, it is possible for you to avoid them. At Colonial, we offer professional shareholders meeting services that can help you streamline the meeting. We can make sure you have proper security, everyone is aware of the schedule, and that all the equipment you need to run the meeting is intact. Allow us to help you with your annual shareholder meeting. Give us a call today to learn more about our services! It would be our honor to assist you with your upcoming shareholder meeting.