Topic: How To Invest

Hi Pat: Could I have your opinion on American Tower? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

American Tower, $75.35, symbol AMT on New York (Shares outstanding: 395.2 million; Market cap: $29.8 billion; www.americantower.com), is the largest independent operator of wireless-communications and broadcast towers. The company has 45,220 towers in the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Ghana, South Africa 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. The company recently 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 Movil. 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 nations entails varying degrees of currency and political risk. As well, the stock trades at a..