Investments

I have spent quite a bit of time looking at stocks as investments, but haven't acted on my research, at least not much. I'm reticent to put much more of my money into stocks (not that I have that much), but I sometimes enjoy trying to identify stocks that have a good chance of increasing in value and/or generating solid yields. Most of my retirement money and savings is invested in mutual funds. Just so I will have a record of some stocks I've identified as being worth investing in (or speculating on), here are a few of those I've identified:

• Citigroup (symbol is C) -- Yesterday's close=$47.41, yield=3.82% (you know this financial organization, right?)
  
• VCA Antech (WOOF) -- $27.82, yield=0% (I bought and sold this for much less money awhile back) (operates veterinary medical centers and diagnostic labs)
  
• Mac-Gray (TUC) -- $11.84, yield=0% (Another I bought and sold for much less money awhile back) (Operates institutional laundries for schools, etc. and sells some equipment)
  
• EMC (EMC) -- $14.10, yield=0% (provides hardware & software for network storage)
  
• Costco (COST) -- $55.88, yield=0.82%

(big box retailer)

Some others I've been tempted to buy have been ADRs (American Depository Receipts), which are "negotiable certificates issued by a U.S. bank representing a specified number of shares (or one share) in a foreign stock that is traded on a U.S. exchange". Among the ones that I've resisted the temptation to invest in are:

• Telecom Corp. of New Zealand (NZT) (Obviously, from New Zealand) (major land-line telecom provider, with some cell service)
  
• Controladora Comercial Mexicana (MCM) (Mexican retailer...owns a big piece of Costco in Mexico and various others)