In 1998, the Mexican government decided to privatize the country’s main airports. This became a major windfall for three publicly traded airport companies and its investors. As a result, these airports were granted concessions to operate the airports for 50 years, which limited competition. As long as… Read More

When industry veterans are asked to join a company’s board of directors, they are expected to stick around for many years. That gives them the accumulated knowledge of a company’s operations, industry positioning and economic sensitivity to help guide forward-looking investment planning decisions. And right now, many of these directors… Read More

I’ve told you before about the enormous number of high-yielding stocks abroad. If you remember, my research team and I found only 17 profitable U.S. companies were paying yields of more than 12%… compared to 227 overseas. Although the numbers fluctuate daily, that means roughly… Read More

Investing in a huge, well-known company that’s an industry leader and pays a nice dividend might seem like a no-brainer, especially if the stock looks reasonably priced. But like the famous George Gershwin song says, “It ain’t necessarily so.” There’s nothing… Read More

We’re now more than a dozen years removed from the stock market meltdown that heralded the end of dot-com era. A number of e-commerce stocks went on to disappear after the boom ended, though the companies that survived grew stronger over time. Companies… Read More

There is no question that smoking is a dirty, unhealthy habit. I can remember back when smoking was popular. The smell of cigarette smoke permeated nearly everything, particularly public spaces and offices. Even in high school, where it was banned inside, there was a smoking area outside the cafeteria and… Read More

In April 2009, the S&P 500 had lost more than a third of its value over the prior year. As recalls, “No one knew if the worst was over — or had just begun,” recalls Stock of the Month’s Amy Calistri. There’s no doubt it was a… Read More

What would compel insiders to buy up company stock? After all, they typically receive shares anyway through annual stock option grants — for free. Some market watchers suggest that these folks buy… Read More

Rail shippers are one of the few industries benefiting from higher energy prices. That’s because rising crude and gasoline prices have caused many companies to switch from trucking to more cost-effective rail services to ship their goods. That fundamental shift in the shipping landscape has been a… Read More