By Ian McGugan
Nobody know who’s going to win the smartphone war, but one way to bet on the growth of smartphones in general is to invest in so-called tower stocks. These represent the unglamorous folks who build, operate and lease the communications towers that relay data and voice signals from one cellphone to another. As cellphone usage rises, and as cellphones become smarter and more complex, the need for communications towers keeps growing.
Many of these stocks have been on a tear. American Tower Corp. (AMT), SBA Communications (SBAC) and Crown Castle (CCI) have all soared in recent months despite their small to nonexistent current earnings. Some smart folks think they have even more room to grow. Goldman Sachs has raised price targets on all the big tower companies and placed both SBA and Crown Castle on its list of conviction buys. Many hedge funds are loading up as well, according to the Market Folly blog. The signal that’s clearly being transmitted is one of growing interest.
Freelance business journalist Ian McGugan blogs for the Financial Post.