Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Increases Stock Position in American Tower Corporation $AMT

Key Points

• Duff & Phelps Investment Management raised its stake in American Tower by 0.8% in Q4 to 917,855 shares, representing 0.20% of AMT (about $161.15 million) and roughly 1.8% of the firm's portfolio, making it the manager's 11th largest holding.
• Analyst sentiment has turned more positive recently — Mizuho upgraded AMT to Outperform and Jefferies nudged its price target to $210, while the Street consensus remains a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $217.33.
• American Tower missed quarterly EPS ( $1.75 vs. $2.54 expected ) despite a revenue beat, set FY2026 guidance of $10.78–$10.95, and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.79 (annualized $7.16, ~4.0% yield).

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. lifted its stake in American Tower Corporation (NYSE:AMT - Free Report) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 917,855 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 7,604 shares during the quarter. American Tower accounts for about 1.8% of Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. owned 0.20% of American Tower worth $161,148,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in American Tower by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 63,640,168 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $12,239,277,000 after purchasing an additional 611,801 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of American Tower by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,888,633 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,324,822,000 after buying an additional 208,109 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in shares of American Tower by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 4,924,771 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $947,132,000 after buying an additional 15,145 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in shares of American Tower by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,653,248 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $894,913,000 after buying an additional 159,223 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Tower by 1,984.8% in the third quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 4,464,382 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $858,552,000 after acquiring an additional 4,250,242 shares during the period. 92.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Tower News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting American Tower this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded AMT from Neutral to Outperform and raised its price target to $205, citing that CoreSite’s data‑center contribution and stronger 5G leasing demand make the company’s mix of tower and data‑center earnings undervalued — this upgrade is the primary catalyst for buying interest today. American Tower’s Valuation After Upgrade Highlighting CoreSite Growth And 5G Leasing Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies nudged its price target to $210 (maintaining a Buy), giving additional analyst support and signaling incremental upside versus current levels; that reinforces the positive narrative from Mizuho. Jefferies adjusts American Tower price target to 210
• Neutral Sentiment: American Tower recently declared a $1.79 quarterly cash distribution; the steady dividend supports the yield story but raises the usual investor question about balancing shareholder returns with capital needs for data‑center and tower growth. Investors will watch upcoming quarter results for signs of free cash flow to sustain both growth and payouts. Does American Tower’s (AMT) New Dividend Payout Clarify Its Long‑Term Capital Allocation Priorities?
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the upgrades, AMT has shown prolonged underperformance (multi‑month and multi‑quarter share declines) and earlier quarterly results included an EPS miss, which keeps some investors cautious about valuation and near‑term earnings execution. That backdrop limits how much the stock may rally on upgrades alone. Mizuho Upgrades American Tower to Outperform: Will This Cell Tower Giant Finally Reclaim Its Crown?

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on AMT. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of American Tower in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of American Tower from $254.00 to $248.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Raymond James Financial dropped their price objective on shares of American Tower from $231.00 to $229.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of American Tower in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. They set a "buy" rating and a $205.00 target price for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of American Tower from $220.00 to $195.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $217.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Tower news, Director Rajesh Kalathur purchased 2,671 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $185.30 per share, for a total transaction of $494,936.30. Following the purchase, the director owned 4,936 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $914,640.80. This represents a 117.92% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Eugene M. Noel sold 41,209 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.05, for a total value of $7,872,979.45. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 29,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,653,551.60. This represents a 58.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

American Tower Stock Performance

Shares of AMT opened at $178.35 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $181.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $180.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. American Tower Corporation has a 52 week low of $165.08 and a 52 week high of $234.33. The stock has a market cap of $83.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.09, a PEG ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 0.92.

American Tower (NYSE:AMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.54 by ($0.79). The company had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.69 billion. American Tower had a net margin of 23.76% and a return on equity of 24.36%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.62 earnings per share. American Tower has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.780-10.950 EPS. On average, analysts expect that American Tower Corporation will post 10.14 EPS for the current year.

American Tower Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 14th will be given a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 14th. This is an increase from American Tower's previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. American Tower's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 132.84%.

American Tower Profile

American Tower NYSE: AMT is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns, operates and develops wireless and broadcast communications infrastructure. The company's core business is leasing space on communications sites — including towers, rooftops and other structures — to wireless carriers, broadcasters, government agencies and enterprise customers. Its business model centers on long-term site leases and contracts that provide recurring revenue tied to the footprint and density of wireless networks.

Beyond traditional tower assets, American Tower offers a range of infrastructure and network services to support mobile, broadband and broadcast connectivity.

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