The 6 Rules of Penny Stock Investing Follow these easy guidelines before you jump in By Jamie Dlugosch , InvestorPlace Writer Sep 7, 2012, 1:09 pm EST September 10, 2012 Penny Stock Rules. The term "penny stock" generally refers to a security issued by a very small company that trades at less than $5 per share. Penny stocks generally are quoted over-the-counter, such as on the OTC Bulletin Board (which is a facility of FINRA) or OTC Link LLC (which is owned by OTC Markets Group, Inc., Merrill’s selection of 3,700 OTC stocks is larger than Fidelity’s, which is just 940. TD Ameritrade’s has 10,000 OTC stocks, while Schwab clients have access to 6,165. E*Trade offers penny stocks, but its screener can’t search exclusively for OTC securities.