In reality, he had no idea what these companies do and wooed investors into them for a huge commission payout. As DiCaprio is pursued by the SEC and FBI for securities fraud, he makes millions as his brokers push illegitimate investments. Fortunately, FINRA and SEC regulations have made it much harder for brokers to swindle people into these companies.

However, questionable promotions and pump and dumps are still commonplace. A Look At Some 'Legit' OTC Stocks. When shares rise, the so-called expert can liquidate his position and is left with a fat profit. The key difference between this kind of activity and that in the Wolf of Wall Street is that the promoter does not act as a broker.

Despite the frauds and scam artists, there are legitimate penny stocks. Because of the risk associated with less regulated securities, they are often underfunded and -- every once in a while -- a penny stock really does rise several thousand percent. The following list is a series of success stories from companies you have probably heard of.

It includes a former penny stock scam that miraculously turned into a successful apparel company, formerly successful businesses that collapsed only to be resurrected, and tiny companies whose "big idea" hit the jackpot.

This is a stock with a colorful history.

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Based in Redmond, Washington, Concur is a global provider of on-demand employee spending management. The company's software allows its customers to integrate, track, and analyze travel and expense data across the enterprise. The company celebrated its 20th anniversary in and 4, more companies chose Concur to manage its expenses. The company has a long term revenue growth rate of 25 percent and is nearing one billion a year in revenue. The company's business, however, was not always so successful.

General Growth Properties NYSE: This real estate investment trust REIT was a casualty of the financial crisis. However, notorious hedge fund manager Bill Ackman bet the company would recover, leading to what some call the best trade of all time. Over the years, General Growth had built a massive portfolio of mall-based real estate that it leased out to tenants. During the good times, however, the company made the mistake of loading up on debt to acquire more malls.

When credit markets seized up in , General Growth was unable to refinance its maturing debt. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April , but he stock was not worthless because the company's underlying real-estate holdings were still extremely valuable.

If General Growth could work things out with its creditors during the bankruptcy process and re-emerge in better financial condition, the stock would still have value. In fact, GGP shares actually rose during the process. According to penny stock short-seller Timothy Sykes, True Religion is "a pure Vancouver spam-fraud turned 'real' company," many stock fraud schemes originate out of Vancouver, Canada.

In fact, TRLG may be the only example of a penny stock scheme-turned successful company in the history of the stock market. The catalyst for the company's rise was that its designer "True Religion" jeans actually caught on and became extremely popular. This supposed scam actually rewarded investors with an incredible windfall: This is another example of a once-successful company that was driven to the absolute brink during the financial crisis.

Pier 1 Imports sells a range of decorative accessories, furniture, candles, housewares, gifts and seasonal products in its well-known stores. In the subsequent years, PIR fell sharply from these levels as business began to struggle. The near coup de grace, however, was the financial crisis and the implosion of the housing market.

Given that Pier 1 sells furniture and housewares, the mortgage meltdown devastated its business almost to the point of no return. Miraculously, the company never did declare bankruptcy. An improving economy and a rising stock market has subsequently sent the stock back near its old highs. Not only did the housing market collapse in , but the subsequent recession nearly wiped out the American auto industry. The bankruptcies of General Motors NYSE: GM , Chrysler OTC: FIATY , and the near-bankruptcy of Ford NYSE: The company manufactures driveline and drivetrain systems and related components and chassis modules for the automotive industry.

The company was fortunate to avoid the same fate as many of its customers, and managed to stave off a bankruptcy filing. The company has rocketed higher since that point, recording third quarter revenue of As of October , the company owned and operated restaurants with plans to open three more by the end of the year. On April 30, This company has seen its share price explode in the s after spending nearly two decades as a penny stock. Over the last decade, however, the company's healthcare information systems and solutions have caught on in the medical field.

The company in won two gold Stevies, one for company of the year in the computer services category, and the other for CEO of the year in the same category. This is probably the most well-known stock on this list as Monster Beverage has become a household name. The company, which was formerly known as Hansen Natural, has been around since , although its business has evolved significantly.

The company makes energy drinks, natural soft drinks and fruit drinks. KO as a possible candidate.

As the energy drink market exploded in the last decade, so has Monster Beverage, and this former penny stock became a Wall Street high-flier. Sirona Dental Systems NASDAQ: This company has been growing consistently over the last decade and currently sports a market cap of almost four billion.

Where To Invest In A Rising Interest Rate Environment? | Financial Samurai

Sirona is a manufacturer of dental equipment that operates on a global basis through an international network of distributors. Sirona is a perfect example of the potential rewards that can come with investing in penny stocks, even if they are rare.

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