Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE:CCI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE:CCI) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-one brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $95.1263.

A number of analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Crown Castle from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Crown Castle in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Crown Castle in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Citizens Jmp decreased their price objective on shares of Crown Castle from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Crown Castle in a research note on Friday, July 24th.

Crown Castle Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of CCI stock opened at $75.70 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $76.13 and a 200-day moving average of $83.02. The company has a market cap of $32.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 0.95. Crown Castle has a 52 week low of $69.72 and a 52 week high of $100.50.

Crown Castle (NYSE:CCI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.17). Crown Castle had a net margin of 20.71% and a negative return on equity of 51.60%. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $995.05 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.67 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Crown Castle has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.530-4.650 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Crown Castle will post 4.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Crown Castle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.0625 per share. This represents a $4.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Crown Castle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 215.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Crown Castle news, VP Robert Collins sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.89, for a total value of $113,835.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 5,113 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $388,025.57. The trade was a 22.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Crown Castle

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wiser Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Crown Castle in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Pingora Partners LLC bought a new position in Crown Castle during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Crown Castle by 55.6% during the first quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC now owns 375 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in Crown Castle in the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Crown Castle in the first quarter worth $32,000. 90.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Crown Castle

Crown Castle Inc (NYSE: CCI) is a communications infrastructure company that owns, operates and leases shared wireless infrastructure in the United States. Its assets support wireless carriers, broadcasters, government agencies and other communications providers by enabling the transmission of voice, data and video services.

The company’s primary infrastructure includes cell towers and other tower sites that host antennas and related equipment. Crown Castle has also developed and operated fiber networks and small-cell systems, which help wireless providers expand network capacity and coverage in densely populated areas and along high-traffic corridors.

Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Houston, Texas, Crown Castle has historically served customers across major U.S.