Merit Financial Group LLC Has $4.08 Million Stake in American Tower Corporation $AMT

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in American Tower by 60.6% to 23,212 shares, now worth about $4.08 million.
• Company insiders made large opposite bets: COO Eugene M. Noel sold 41,209 shares for roughly $7.87 million (a 58.2% drop in his holdings), while Director Rajesh Kalathur bought 2,671 shares for about $495,000, raising his stake 117.9%.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with a $217.33 average price target (2 Strong Buy, 13 Buy, 6 Hold), and recent quarterly results showed a revenue beat but an EPS miss while management set FY2026 guidance of 10.78–10.95 EPS.

Merit Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of American Tower Corporation (NYSE:AMT - Free Report) by 60.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,212 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 8,758 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in American Tower were worth $4,075,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Tower by 16.0% in the fourth quarter. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,255 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $571,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Tower by 30.4% in the fourth quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 31,274 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $5,491,000 after purchasing an additional 7,282 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Funds Management LTD increased its holdings in shares of American Tower by 19.1% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Funds Management LTD now owns 287,681 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $50,701,000 after purchasing an additional 46,119 shares in the last quarter. Marion Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of American Tower by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Marion Wealth Management now owns 6,241 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,116,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Argo Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Tower in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,739,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.69% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. New Street Research raised shares of American Tower from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $203.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, January 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of American Tower from $230.00 to $210.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 16th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of American Tower in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $205.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of American Tower from $235.00 to $225.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reduced 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 research note on Friday, January 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, American Tower has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $217.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Eugene M. Noel sold 41,209 shares of American Tower stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.05, for a total transaction of $7,872,979.45. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 29,592 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,653,551.60. This trade represents a 58.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rajesh Kalathur purchased 2,671 shares of American Tower stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $185.30 per share, for a total transaction of $494,936.30. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

American Tower Price Performance

Shares of AMT stock opened at $182.60 on Monday. 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 $85.11 billion, a PE ratio of 33.88, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $181.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $180.52.

American Tower (NYSE:AMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.54 by ($0.79). The business had revenue of $2.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.69 billion. American Tower had a net margin of 23.76% and a return on equity of 24.36%. American Tower's revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.62 earnings per share. American Tower has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.780-10.950 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 14th will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a positive change 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 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 14th. American Tower's payout ratio is 132.84%.

About American Tower

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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