ProShare Advisors LLC Buys 11,578 Shares of Crown Castle Inc. $CCI

Key Points

• ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in Crown Castle by 9.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 11,578 more shares and bringing its total holding to 138,296 shares worth about $12.29 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with other investors also adding or starting positions, and institutions now hold 90.77% of Crown Castle’s stock.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but constructive: the stock carries a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $98.52, though several firms have recently cut targets or downgraded the shares amid growth and interest-rate concerns.

ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE:CCI - Free Report) by 9.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 138,296 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 11,578 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC's holdings in Crown Castle were worth $12,290,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Crown Castle in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Wiser Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Crown Castle in the third quarter worth about $29,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in shares of Crown Castle in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Crown Castle in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its stake in shares of Crown Castle by 128.7% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 382 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.77% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CCI has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Crown Castle from $116.00 to $105.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Barclays raised their price objective on Crown Castle from $91.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Crown Castle in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $102.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Crown Castle from $105.00 to $95.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Crown Castle from $110.00 to $95.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $98.52.

Key Crown Castle News

Here are the key news stories impacting Crown Castle this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Crown Castle appointed Kris Hinson as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer and Mark Lennon as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, moves that support its transition to a pure-play U.S. tower company and may improve customer strategy, digital capabilities, and information security. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly dividend of $1.0625 per share, reinforcing Crown Castle’s income appeal for investors. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management is advancing its fiber-sale and debt-reduction plan, with proceeds expected to be used for about $1 billion of share repurchases and roughly $7 billion of debt paydown, which could strengthen the balance sheet over time. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s latest quarterly results showed better-than-expected EPS and revenue, but revenue still declined year over year, leaving investors focused on whether the turnaround can sustain itself.
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research downgraded Crown Castle Inc. NYSE: CCI from Outperform to Peer Perform, citing weaker long-term growth prospects, including pressure tied to DISH lease payment defaults and higher interest rates. Article Title

Crown Castle Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of CCI opened at $92.10 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average is $86.16 and its 200 day moving average is $87.60. The company has a market capitalization of $40.20 billion, a PE ratio of 38.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 0.93. Crown Castle Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.96 and a 12-month high of $115.76.

Crown Castle (NYSE:CCI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The real estate investment trust reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.55. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $995.42 million. Crown Castle had a negative return on equity of 64.64% and a net margin of 25.13%.The firm's quarterly revenue was down 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.10 EPS. Crown Castle has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.380-4.490 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Crown Castle Inc. will post 4.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Crown Castle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.0625 per share. This represents a $4.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Crown Castle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 175.62%.

Insider Activity at Crown Castle

In other Crown Castle news, VP Robert Sean Collins sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.49, for a total transaction of $262,470.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 5,800 shares in the company, valued at $507,442. This trade represents a 34.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Edward B. Adams, Jr. sold 4,650 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.34, for a total value of $401,481.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 25,183 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,174,300.22. This represents a 15.59% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Crown Castle Profile

Crown Castle is a U.S.-focused communications infrastructure company organized as a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns, operates and leases shared wireless infrastructure. Its primary business consists of providing tower-based site leases, small cell networks and fiber solutions that support mobile voice and data transmission for wireless carriers, cable companies and other enterprise customers. The company's assets are positioned to enable network coverage and capacity, including the densification projects associated with 4G LTE and 5G deployments.

Its product and service offerings include ground-based tower sites that host multiple wireless operators, distributed small cell nodes and associated fiber backhaul used to connect sites into carrier networks, and site development and maintenance services.

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