Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on American Tower (NYSE:AMT)

Key Points

• Options activity surged on American Tower, with traders buying 5,248 call options on Wednesday — about 154% above the stock’s average call volume.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive: the stock carries a Moderate Buy consensus rating with an average price target of $216.20, though some firms recently adjusted targets and ratings.
• American Tower reported better-than-expected quarterly results, including EPS of $2.84 versus $1.60 expected, and it also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.79 per share, implying a 3.9% yield.

American Tower Corporation (NYSE:AMT - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock investors acquired 5,248 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 154% compared to the average volume of 2,066 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMT has been the topic of several analyst reports. 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. Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of American Tower in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of American Tower from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report 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 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of American Tower from $209.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Tower currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $216.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Tower

In other American Tower news, Director Rajesh Kalathur acquired 2,671 shares of American Tower stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $185.30 per share, with a total value of $494,936.30. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 4,936 shares in the company, valued at $914,640.80. This trade represents a 117.92% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Ruth T. Dowling sold 416 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.54, for a total transaction of $73,856.64. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 29,461 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,230,505.94. This represents a 1.39% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Tower

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Riverwater Partners LLC increased its position in shares of American Tower by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 1,536 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $270,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management grew its position in shares of American Tower by 37.3% during the 4th quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 206 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Personal CFO Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of American Tower by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 1,667 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $293,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the period. Twin City Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of American Tower by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Twin City Private Wealth LLC now owns 7,799 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,382,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Finally, Conscious Wealth Investments LLC grew its position in shares of American Tower by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Conscious Wealth Investments LLC now owns 11,852 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,121,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. 92.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Tower Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE AMT traded down $2.00 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $183.53. 1,594,126 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,141,655. The business's fifty day moving average is $177.78 and its 200 day moving average is $179.38. American Tower has a fifty-two week low of $165.08 and a fifty-two week high of $234.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $85.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.69, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.43.

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

American Tower Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 12th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. American Tower's payout ratio is presently 115.67%.

American Tower Company 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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