Topic: How To Invest

Could I have your opinion on American Tower please? Thank you.

Article Excerpt

American Tower, $48.91, symbol AMT on New York (Shares outstanding: 400.3 million; Market cap: $19.1 billion; www.americantower.com), is the largest independent operator of wireless communications and broadcast towers. The company has 34,411 towers in the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru and India. American Tower leases its sites to wireless companies. AT&T, Sprint Nextel, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile account for 74% of American Tower’s revenue. American Tower has just agreed to buy up to 2,126 towers in Colombia from Colombia Movil for $182 million in cash. American Tower will lease these towers, as well as new towers it plans to build in Colombia, back to Colombia Mobil. The company aims to continue its rapid expansion by acquiring more towers. The market for wireless data services is growing, but many of the best prospects are in countries like Colombia, Chile, Brazil, South Africa and Ghana. Operating in those countries entails varying degrees of currency and political risk. As well, the shares…