When an industry is new, many companies will flourish. Over time, the market will determine the best winners in the space. It could come from a better product, a better brand, a better business model, or simply lower costs. Over time, that leads to consolidation as weaker players go out of business and smaller players are bought out. Investors who buy ahead of an offer can make money on the company being acquired. But owning the industry leader over time can be lucrative as well. One interesting industry consolidation trend underway right now is in the field of toys.Hasbro (HAS) is g...

Investors remain concerned as inflation is running at its hottest since 1981, and as commodity prices have spiked higher, weighing on the overall economy. But no matter how good or bad the economy has been, individual companies that have been able to grow their earnings can thrive in any market. That’s especially true when a company is in a space where poor performance in a weak economy is expected. One such example isAmerican Airlines (AAL). The company reported that its first-quarter revenues came in better-than-expected. The company’s revenues are still down 16 percent from the sa...

Wall Street analysts tend to be quick to upgrade stocks that are rallying, and quick to downgrade a stock after it’s fallen. Traders who take the opposite tack tend to cash out during a rally, and tend to end up buying in when shares are at a bargain price. With many companies already down heavily, it’s no surprise that downgrades continue to trickle in, even though the worst may have passed for the stock market for some time. Case in point?Nvidia (NVDA). The world’s leading graphics processing company has recently been downgraded, adding to the drop of the prior four trading days. W...

Historically, defense stocks haven’t necessarily related to the defense and aerospace industry. However, in today’s economic and geopolitical climate, it’s not a bad place to look. The space has tended to consistently outperform the overall stock market, and even with a spike in recent weeks, shares of many big names haven’t reached an overvalued level right now. That points to further moves higher, even if geopolitical tensions calm down. One such name in the space isGeneral Dynamics (GD). The defense company trades at 20 times earnings. While shares are up on the latest war fear...

Every sector has a key metric that may be more important than things like earnings or profit margins in the short-term. For instance, the restaurant industry may look at how many times its tables turn over customers during the course of an evening. For retailers, the key metric is same-store sales. It cuts through the false growth that could be reported if a company is expanding by opening new locations, even if it may be cannibalizing existing locations. One company capable of delivering strong returns with this metric isCostco (COST). The retailer just reported that same-store s...

The one-two punch of rising fuel prices and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is having a major effect on agricultural commodities. It’s simply becoming too expensive to grow certain crops given the costs involved, or simply because rich farmland is now in a warzone. Food prices have already been trending up thanks to higher levels of inflation, but that could go much higher in the year ahead. That’s why investors looking to stay long on stocks could fare well with companies all along agriculture’s supply chain. One leading play?Bunge (BG). The company is a buyer of crops, such as corn an...

The tech selloff of the past year has made a number of companies a relative value play. That’s especially true to firms that are investing in long-term trends. While they won’t play out overnight, buying key suppliers to the tech space on market drops should result in market-beating returns when the next rebound occurs. One area that’s been hit hard thanks to supply chain issues and shutdowns is in the automotive space, particularly EV production. But for patient investors, now may be a solid time to consider shares of a firm likeAnalog Devices (ADI). The chipmaker specifically fo...

There are plenty investment sayings about how company management can make or break a firm’s stock returns. And in today’s world, where retail investors own a minuscule number of shares and institutions tend to trade in and out of shares, company management tends to drive control. In many cases, letting the full-time employees devoted to the company run the show is a good thing. In other cases, such as where control is closely held by a family, the results can sometimes be a bit more mixed.Constellation Brands (STZ) is currently closely held by the Sands family. But the company is offeri...

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to a sharp pullback among international investments. Yet some companies are able to buck the trend and still grow right now. The top contender for such growth could be in social media plays. With many looking to bypass official news (often controlled on some level by governments), such companies could provide one of the few pockets of international growth in the next few months. One such play isTwitter (TWTR). The social media company has just reported its best day ever following the disclosure that Elon Musk has bought 9.2 percent of the company....

A number of high-growth opportunities exist today. Many look attractive for the long-term, but short-term tailwinds are preventing the market from moving the value meaningfully higher right now. That’s especially true for any growth story that’s dependent on a resolution to supply chain issues, which appear to still be a source of frustration for short-term investors in hot growth areas. That’s especially true for anything related to the automotive sector, as numerous factories have seen shutdowns. One company hurting in the short run isBlackBerry (BB). The cybersecurity play has see...