Best Micro Cap Stocks Right Now

The best and worst performing micro cap stocks of the day lay below. Check back tomorrow for updated lists of stocks.

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Contributor, Benzinga
December 21, 2024

Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK)

Upwork Inc. is a leading digital platform for recruiters and job seekers. It is an online marketplace that enables businesses to find and work with professionals all around the world. Upwork was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.

UPWK has a market cap of $6.0 billion, a 52 week low of $5.14 and a 52 week high of $63.88. The stock is liquid trading an average of 2.2 million shares daily and has 2020 revenues of $373 million.

$16.44
0.20[1.23%]
Quote.Price.last-update: Dec 20, 7:50 PM (Delayed 15-Minutes)
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Open16.010Close16.440
Vol / Avg.3.180M / 2.253MMkt Cap2.194B
Day Range15.870 - 16.47052 Wk Range8.425 - 18.140

First Western Financial (NASDAQ:MYFW)

First Western Financial Inc is a bank holding company. It provides wealth management services, including private banking, personal trust, investment management, mortgage loans, and institutional asset management services to individual and corporate customers in Colorado, Arizona, California, and Wyoming. Its segments include the Wealth Management segment, which offers deposit, loan, insurance, trust & investment management advisory products and services; and the Mortgage segment, which offers residential mortgage service. It earns majorly from the wealth management segment.

$19.70
-0.35[-1.75%]
Quote.Price.last-update: Dec 20, 4:00 PM (Delayed 15-Minutes)
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Open19.870Close19.700
Vol / Avg.48.830K / 27.353KMkt Cap190.383M
Day Range19.670 - 20.28052 Wk Range12.840 - 22.320

Nathan's Famous (NASDAQ:NATH)

Nathan’s Famous Inc is an owner of fast food franchises in the United States. The company’s reportable segment includes the Branded Product Program, Product licensing, Restaurant operations and Corporate. Branded Product Program derives revenue principally from the sale of hot dog products either directly to foodservice operators or to various foodservice distributors who resell the products to foodservice operators. It generates maximum revenue from the Branded Product Program segment. Geographically, it derives a majority of revenue from the United States.

$79.39
-2.45[-2.99%]
Quote.Price.last-update: Dec 20, 4:00 PM (Delayed 15-Minutes)
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Open80.580Close79.390
Vol / Avg.21.719K / 12.629KMkt Cap324.278M
Day Range79.390 - 82.49052 Wk Range63.010 - 94.970

IBEX (NASDAQ:IBEX)

IBEX Holdings Ltd is an end-to-end provider of technology-enabled customer lifecycle experience (CLX) solutions to optimize customer acquisition, engagement, expansion and experience for its clients. IBEX operates through Customer Acquisition and Customer Management segments. Customer Acquisition segment includes consumer-facing businesses and acquires customers for them. In this segment, customers are primarily acquired for clients in the telecommunications, cable, technology and insurance industries. Customer Management segment comprises the engagement, expansion and experience solutions. The suite of customer engagement solutions consists of customer service, technical support and other value added outsourced back office services. Most of the company’s revenue comes from US.

$20.28
0.26[1.30%]
Quote.Price.last-update: Dec 20, 4:00 PM (Delayed 15-Minutes)
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Open19.760Close20.280
Vol / Avg.235.776K / 117.215KMkt Cap267.746M
Day Range19.750 - 20.39052 Wk Range13.000 - 21.630

Ceragon Networks (NASDAQ:CRNT)

Ceragon Networks Ltd offers wireless backhaul solutions. Its products comprise of FibeAir IP-20 Platform, FibeAir IP-20 Assured Platform, and Network Management. The company provides its services to wireless service providers, public safety organizations, government agencies and utility companies. The company’s FibeAir IP-20 platform offers flexibility in choosing all-outdoor, split-mount and all-indoor configurations to suit any deployment scenario. Its products include short haul-access, short haul-aggregation, small cells, long haul, and enterprise access. Geographically, it derives majority revenue from India and also has a presence in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East and Latin America.

$4.39
0.09[2.09%]
Quote.Price.last-update: Dec 20, 7:20 PM (Delayed 15-Minutes)
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Open4.260Close4.390
Vol / Avg.1.140M / 1.134MMkt Cap381.109M
Day Range4.215 - 4.44052 Wk Range1.960 - 5.000

A micro-cap stock is a stock with a total market capitalization between $300 million and $2 billion. These stocks are often smaller, less established operations. But these companies have limitless potential to grow into micro-cap stocks in the future. 

Micro-cap stocks often invite investors with a higher tolerance for risk because they can change price quickly. Take note if you’re a value investor because many of these shares are stocks under $20.

Be sure to do your homework if you’re thinking about investing in micro-cap companies. Our guide to these stocks will help you evaluate micro-cap corporations and offer you a few stocks to watch. 

Quick Look at the Best Micro-Cap Stocks:

Overview: Micro Cap Stocks

A micro-cap stock is a stock with a market capitalization that ranges between $300 million and $2 billion. You can calculate a company’s total market capitalization by multiplying its current share price by the number of shares outstanding. These stocks are usually issued by smaller companies that aren’t household names.

There are a number of benefits that come with micro stocks, including:

  • More potential for profit: These stocks can be hot stocks under $5. If you have a limited amount of capital to invest, putting your money into strong micro-cap corporations can give you more potential for profit.
  • Higher growth potential: The larger a company’s market capitalization, the more difficult it is to show significant year-after-year growth. The stocks can grow more effectively, which leads to larger returns on your investments.
  • More volatility: Though this might not be a very appealing feature if you’re a long-term investor, these stocks also tend to show more volatility than larger companies. Day traders and scalpers often turn to them when they want to capitalize on drastic daily price movements.

Investing in micro-cap stocks is significantly riskier than investing in larger companies. It can be more difficult to find information on micro-cap stocks compared to large-cap and mega-cap stocks because fewer experts provide analysis reports. Micro-cap companies may also fail or go bankrupt without notice, which can lead to significant capital losses. Because there are fewer buyers for micro-cap stocks, price manipulation and fraud are not uncommon. 

Best Online Brokers for Micro Cap Stocks

Beginning your stock trading journey starts with opening a brokerage account. As an everyday investor, you can’t buy or sell any stock directly. Instead, you must work through a broker, a financial professional or firm authorized to buy and sell securities on your behalf.

If you don’t already have a brokerage account, consider 1 of our favorites below.  

Features to Look for in These Stocks

These stocks are associated with more risk and a higher rate of failure than larger companies. To protect your investment, look for these 3 characteristics before you buy:   

  • Continued growth: A big advantage of these stocks over large-cap stocks is that they can grow more effectively. Though many of these stocks have debt and negative earnings per share (EPS) values, a strong record of year-over-year growth can mean that the company is steadily approaching profitability.
  • Trading on a major exchange: In order to trade on the New York Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ, a company must meet basic financial documentation requirements. This makes it significantly more difficult to execute acts of fraud or artificial price manipulation. You may want to avoid micro stocks that trade only on OTC exchanges because these can be very risky investments.
  • High daily average volume: A stock’s average daily volume is the average number of shares that change hands every day. If you’re a day trader or you’re looking to take advantage of quick price movements, look for a micro-cap stock with a higher daily trading volume. This ensures that you’ll be able to execute your positions when you think it’s best — not only where there are buyers on the market. 

Moving Your Portfolio With Micro Caps

Investing in these stocks can be thrilling — there’s nothing more exciting than the idea that you might have the next “big winner” in your portfolio. It’s also very important to remember that these stocks are not risk-free investments — they may fail at any time. 

Be sure to selectively add micro-cap companies to a balanced portfolio primarily made up of large-cap stocks, total market index funds and S&P 500 funds. 

Q

What is a micro-cap stock?

A

A micro-cap stock is one that is worth between $300 million and $2 billion.

Q

Are micro-cap stocks risky?

A

Micro-cap stocks can change price quickly, so investors need to stay on top of the prices to see success.

Q

Are micro-cap stocks expensive?

A

Oftentimes, you can find micro-cap stocks for under $20.

Sarah Horvath

About Sarah Horvath

Sarah Horvath is a seasoned financial writer with a specialization in investing content. With a keen eye for market trends and a deep understanding of investment strategies, Sarah delivers insightful and informative articles tailored to investors. Her dedication to providing valuable content empowers readers to make informed decisions in the dynamic world of finance. Sarah’s expertise extends across various investment vehicles, including stocks, bonds, cryptocurrencies, and real estate. Whether analyzing market movements, evaluating investment opportunities, or demystifying complex financial concepts, Sarah’s writing is characterized by clarity, accuracy, and actionable insights. Through her engaging content, Sarah strives to educate and guide investors on their journey towards financial success.