Marijuana Stocks a Risky Investment for Novice Investors, According to GoBankingRates.com Report

Dec. 23, 2012 - PRLog -- Keen investors look to up-and-coming investments that have the potential to offer significant profits, and since states like Colorado and Washington have legalized the use of marijuana, the latest on investors’ radars is marijuana stock. www.GoBankingRates.com investigates the profitability of existing marijuana stocks to determine whether this stock option is a financially advantageous investment move.

Presently, marijuana stocks are not listed on the three major stock exchanges (i.e. NYSE, AMEX, NASDAQ), however, a majority of marijuana stocks are traded over-the-counter (OTC).

Beth McKenna, Investing Columnist for Go Banking Rates and lead reporter in the investigation explains, “This isn’t unusual for very small companies, though it can pose increased risks for investors, as listing requirements are not as stringent as they are on the major exchanges.”

The report uncovers three marijuana stocks that are actively traded over-the-counter.

UK-based GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPRF) is listed on a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange. The company specializes in producing and selling cannabinoid prescription pharmaceutical products as medical marijuana treatments; its consumer market is in Canada, the U.K., Germany, Spain and Denmark.

Its profit margin is 12.5% and Return-on-Equity is 12.8%. While the numbers don’t hold up to numbers of more dominant pharmaceutical companies, McKenna says it’s “not bad for a smaller less-established one.”

Findings in the investigation also produce data on two other over-the-counter marijuana stock options, Medbox  and Terra Tech Corp. .

Based on the data in the report, investing in marijuana stocks still leaves profitability in the near future unclear, but one point McKenna emphasizes is investors’ exposure to financial uncertainty when opting for this investment.

Click here for the full report. (http://www.gobankingrates.com/investments/should-you-inve...)

About Go Banking Rates

GoBankingRates.com is a national website dedicated to connecting readers with the best interest rates on financial services nationwide, as well as informative personal finance content, news and tools. Go Banking Rates collects interest rate information from more than 4,000 U.S. banks and credit unions, making it the only online rates aggregator with the ability to provide the most comprehensive and authentic local interest rate information.

Additionally, Go Banking Rates partners with a number of major media outlets such as Business Insider and US News & World Report to provide compelling and edifying personal finance content, and its expert editors have been featured and quoted on several premier finance websites like Yahoo! Finance, Forbes, The Street, Huffington Post and more.

GoBankingRates.com belongs to a network of more than 1500 finance websites, including GoInsuranceRates.com and GoFreeCredit.com. These sites receive more than 2 million visits each month.

For questions or comments, please contact:

Jaime Catmull, Director of Public Relations
GoBankingRates.com
JaimeC@GoBankingRates.com
310.297.9233 x261