These Were The Most Active Securities On OTC Markets In September

A British tobacco company, Dutch paint company, California-based dermatological company, and Maryland-based regional bank were among the securities that experienced the largest trading volume increases in September.

Nearly 900 million shares—$4.9 billion worth—traded hands on the OTCQX Best Market, the top tier of OTC Markets, in September. Of the 30 most-active securities for the month, there were four that experienced dramatic volume spikes.

Volume in Revere Bank REVB spiked heavily on Sept 24, the day the company announced it had been acquired by Sandy Spring Bancorp SASR in a deal valued at $460.7 million. For the month, $34 million worth of Revere shares were traded, compared to just over $1 million in August.

Akzo Nobel N.V. AKZOY had a 171% increase month-over-month, from $18 million worth of shares changing hands in August to $49 million doing so in September. The volume increase doesn’t appear to be the result of a news catalyst, but commentary throughout the month from analysts at Bank of America - Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, and Morgan Stanley may have driven investor focus. The company also recently reaffirmed its guidance of 15% return on sales by 2020.

Avita Medical Ltd. AVMXY shares experienced over $31 million in dollar volume in September, a 120% increase from August. This was due mostly to a pair of key news items: a Sept. 6 announcement that the company had been added to the S&P 300 Index, and a Sept. 30 announcement it was graduating to the Nasdaq under the ticker RCEL.

Imperial Brands PLC IMBBY experienced a 104% increase in dollar volume last month, from approximately $65 million worth of shares traded in August to approximately $134 million worth of shares traded in September. Traders were undoubtedly taking advantage of regulatory headwinds, as governments have begun taking a closer look at vaping. The changing picture has also prompted volume spikes in industry peers Altria Group MO and Philip Morris International PM.

On the OTCQB Venture Market, share classes of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac accounted for 22 of the 30 most actively traded securities in September.

The common and preferred shares of the two government-sponsored entities experienced huge volume spikes beginning on Sept. 6, when the Dept. of Treasury released a long-awaited 53-page report on their plan to return the two companies to the private markets. Though the market’s initial reaction to the report was quite negative—shares in both companies fell approximately 8% that day—they later rebounded on increased optimism that the conservatorship could end.

Included in the top 10 Most Active OTCQB securities was CV Sciences, Inc. CVSI with $38 million worth of shares trading in the quarter. The company got a boost along with the rest of the cannabis sector after the Sept. 25 passage of the SAFE Banking Act.

Great Bear Resources Ltd GTBDF was also among the most active names on OTCQB after the company reported multiple gold discoveries in the Red Lake district of Ontario. They also announced a graduation to OTCQX on Sept. 25.

Overall these were the top 10 most active securities on both markets in September. Roche Holding, Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (BTC), Charlotte’s Web, and Imperial Brands—the four most-trade securities year-to-date on OTCQX—were the most-traded in September.

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OTCQB

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