Man Group plc Raises Stake in American Tower Corporation $AMT

Key Points

• Man Group plc increased its stake in American Tower by 85.9% in the fourth quarter, adding 517,719 shares to reach 1,120,762 shares valued at about $196.8 million.
• American Tower reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.84 versus estimates of $1.60 and revenue of $2.74 billion, while also raising FY 2026 guidance to $10.90-$11.07 EPS.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.79 per share, implying a 3.9% annualized yield, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $216.20.

Man Group plc boosted its holdings in shares of American Tower Corporation (NYSE:AMT - Free Report) by 85.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,120,762 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 517,719 shares during the period. Man Group plc owned 0.24% of American Tower worth $196,772,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AMT. J. Stern & Co. LLP lifted its position in American Tower by 28,121.1% during the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 37,686,978 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $6,616,703,000 after acquiring an additional 37,553,436 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in American Tower by 20,721.6% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 9,712,672 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,705,254,000 after purchasing an additional 9,666,025 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in American Tower during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,171,180,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in American Tower by 1,984.8% during the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 4,464,382 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $858,552,000 after purchasing an additional 4,250,242 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors increased its stake in American Tower by 157.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,871,368 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $679,696,000 after purchasing an additional 2,364,898 shares in the last quarter. 92.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Tower Stock Performance

Shares of AMT stock opened at $181.29 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $181.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $179.99. American Tower Corporation has a 52 week low of $165.08 and a 52 week high of $234.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.46 billion, a PE ratio of 29.29, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07.

American Tower (NYSE:AMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.60 by $1.24. American Tower had a net margin of 26.81% and a return on equity of 27.79%. The firm had revenue of $2.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.75 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. American Tower has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.900-11.07 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that American Tower Corporation will post 10.67 earnings per share for the current year.

American Tower Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be paid a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 12th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. American Tower's payout ratio is currently 115.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of American Tower from $209.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of American Tower from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of American Tower from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $207.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $195.00 price objective on shares of American Tower in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of American Tower from $200.00 to $195.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $216.20.

Insider Activity at American Tower

In other news, EVP Ruth T. Dowling sold 416 shares of American Tower stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.54, for a total value of $73,856.64. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 29,461 shares in the company, valued at $5,230,505.94. The trade was a 1.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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