Buyback Binge: Bane or Boon?

S&P 500 companies snapped up their own stock at record levels in the second quarter. For investors, the buyback boom means it's especially important to look beyond per-share earnings when evaluating a company's quarterly performance, analysts say. It might also be a reason to pay more attention to M&A prospects. However, buyback watchers don't expect companies to repeat the mistakes of the late-1990s rash of repurchases, which came back to haunt some stocks after the bull market went bust