Investors today have a plethora of resources at their fingertips when it comes to evaluating a company. Besides annual and quarterly reports, press releases, and conference calls, there is an ocean full of media noise, with pundits and analysts all vying for the ears and minds of investors.
After a while, it can become difficult to wade through the waters in order to figure out what one should actually be following, or what one should be listening to. Oftentimes I end up trying to ignore the blitz of media coverage and instead will rely on friends or colleagues to share ideas and analysis, and that frequently ends up being my best source of information.
That's why I thought it would be helpful to share with you the stocks that the majority of your peers are currently paying most attention to. Regardless of what their motivation may be, it can be helpful to get a firm grasp on market sentiment by knowing which stocks people have their eyes on. With the Fool's free My Watchlist Service now 4 months old, we have tens of thousands of people telling us what businesses have, for whatever reason, piqued their interest.
The most-watched REIT is ...
Using the aggregate data, we see that Annaly Capital Management
The company issues shares to raise capital, which it levers up with short-term financing. It uses this capital to buy longer-term mortgage-backed securities (MBS's), collects the interest on these securities or sells them, and then repays its lenders.
This model is similar to that of the proprietary trading desks at big banks such as Bank of America
The runners-up are ...
The next most-watched REIT is Annaly-managed Chimera Investments
The third most-watched REIT is General Growth Properties
The Foolish bottom line
Whether you're watching the industry's most popular companies or trying to figure out which companies could be the next industry darlings, it pays to keep your ears and eyes open. You can create your own personalized version of the Fool's My Watchlist, which will help you get the latest news, analysis, and commentary. It will also help tap you into our community of 170,000 investors who all share and develop ideas with one another. Click below to add one of these stocks to your Watchlist!