Small-cap stocks tend to be under-researched and under-followed, and this can sometimes create buying opportunities for investors willing to go the extra mile to find them. What's more, they can come from a variety of industries and give you exposure to fast-growing or even nascent markets.
Let's look at three that stand out today. AAR Corp (NYSE: AIR) is a play on the growth in commercial aviation and the need to service aircraft. Federal Signal (NYSE: FSS) benefits from increased municipal, industrial, and utilities spending on environmental solutions (street cleaning, safe digging, etc.), and Altra Industrial Motion (NASDAQ: AIMC) is a play on a potential recovery in motion control and power transmission product end markets.
The company is a global provider of aviation support services to the commercial and military markets. In plain English, this means supplying parts as well as repair and engineering services to airlines. Customers include major airlines such as Delta, Lufthansa, Southwest, and United Airlines as well as FedEx, UPS, and the U.S. Air Force. As such, AAR works with the leading original equipment suppliers such as General Electric, United Technologies, and Northrop Grumman.