Mark Lin

If you own a chain of movie theaters, declining admissions and rising rental costs will be top of your concerns. Reading International has mitigated these risks with its overseas exposure and unique real estate strategy.

As the residential and commercial markets show signs of recovery, carpet companies aren't necessarily the best proxies for them. As customers increasingly seek alternative flooring options, these two flooring companies have become interesting investment candidates.

Will industrial distributors end up with the same fate as bookstore operators, following Amazon's aggressive push into B2B e-commerce? W.W. Grainger is likely to be among the survivors.

Most casual-dining restaurants aren't doing well because they are losing customers and can't find the right locations to house their operations. Kona Grill has done well on these two counts, which makes it a candidate for next big thing in the industry.

Most department store operators are losing their customers because they are pricing their products too high and don't have exclusive products to draw in customers. This isn't the case with Kohl's.

Contrary to popular belief, companies that serve the ultra-affluent are less likely to be impacted by any economic downturn, despite their perceived cyclicality. The truly rich will continue to invest in rare coins and fine art, even in bad times. This makes companies such as Collectors Universe and Sotheby’s very attractive as recession-proof investments.

Size (or the lack of it) of a company isn't the biggest factor in picking a stock. In Natural Grocers' case, its smaller store format actually works to its advantage.

David beat Goliath because he played to his strengths and avoided destructive head-on competition. The same can be said of Waste Connections' strategies in the waste management business.

Using industry classifications to screen for investments will typically lead to throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Don't dismiss Reed Elsevier, which is very different from your typical trade book publisher.

A look at why Waste Management is one of the companies that has remained consistently profitable because of the non-discretionary nature of waste collection and disposal.

The model of another successful hard-goods retailer shows that hhgregg’s strategic turnaround initiatives make sense and have good chances of succeeding.

If you're watching fewer movies than you were a decade ago, you aren't alone. However, The Marcus Corporation has managed to survive and even thrive in the difficult movie theater industry.

Shoe Carnival is close to reaching its target of one billion dollars in sales, having achieved $885 million in revenues last year. But there's further growth potential beyond that, as Shoe Carnival sees itself doubling its current store count in the future.

Will Coca-Cola and Starbucks retain their top billing in the next decade?

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. The ultimate test of shareholder value creation is still share price appreciation. In this regards, Patrick Industries stands out among its peers.

Most consumers make their purchasing decisions largely on the power of brands. Sequential Brands understands this dynamic well and has divested its retail stores to focus on building brands -- which are what consumers really care about.

Turnarounds are often the most difficult category of investments to predict, but they also provide the most profitable investment opportunities. Build-A-Bear Workshop has a higher chance of turnaround success than other companies because of its brand equity and its well-thought-out turnaround plans.

Which is a better investment: franchisor or franchisee? Most investors may go with the former, but I beg to differ in the case of Burger King.

According to NPD research, fast casual was the fastest growing restaurant segment in 2013. However, the growth isn’t equally shared among all fast casual restaurants.

We all like growth stocks like Amira Nature Foods, but do recent allegations made against the company mean that it’s better to be safe than sorry?