Crown Castle (NYSE:CCI) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Sell

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Crown Castle (NYSE:CCI) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Saturday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Crown Castle in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. They set a “hold” rating and a $90.00 target price for the company. HSBC reduced their target price on shares of Crown Castle from $107.00 to $88.40 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Crown Castle from $116.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Crown Castle from $110.00 to $106.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Crown Castle from $101.00 to $91.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $99.34.

Crown Castle Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of CCI stock opened at $86.35 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $86.05 and a 200-day moving average of $88.52. Crown Castle has a 12-month low of $75.96 and a 12-month high of $115.76. The company has a market capitalization of $37.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.68, a P/E/G ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 0.94.

Crown Castle (NYSE:CCI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The real estate investment trust reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.55. Crown Castle had a net margin of 25.13% and a negative return on equity of 64.64%. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $995.42 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Crown Castle has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.380-4.490 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Crown Castle will post 4.23 EPS for the current year.

Crown Castle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $1.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $4.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.9%. Crown Castle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 175.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Crown Castle news, EVP Edward B. Adams, Jr. sold 4,650 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 25,183 shares in the company, valued at $2,174,300.22. This trade represents a 15.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Robert Sean Collins sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.49, for a total transaction of $262,470.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 5,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $507,442. This represents a 34.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Crown Castle

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wiser Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in Crown Castle in the third quarter valued at $29,000. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Crown Castle in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in Crown Castle in the third quarter valued at $31,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in Crown Castle in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Crown Castle by 55.6% during the 1st quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC now owns 375 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.77% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Crown Castle

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 FFO, AFFO and revenue modestly beat estimates, showing resilience in cash flow and leasing trends despite challenges. Crown Castle (CCI) Q1 FFO and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management announced a ~ $1B buyback plan and ~$65M of annualized cost reductions, which support shareholder returns and margin improvement. Crown Castle reiterates 2026 outlook with ~$1B buyback plan
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are showing support: Bernstein reaffirmed a Buy and Raymond James raised its price target (to $108, strong?buy), providing potential upside from upgrades. Bernstein Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Crown Castle (CCI) Raymond James adjusts Crown Castle price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Company is progressing with strategic asset sales and refocusing on the tower business—moves that could reshape growth profile but take time to realize value. How Investors May Respond To Crown Castle
• Negative Sentiment: Management reiterated FY 2026 guidance that includes an expected net loss ($640M–$920M), keeping near?term earnings visibility weak and likely pressuring valuation multiples. How Investors May Respond To Crown Castle
• Negative Sentiment: DISH Network–related headwinds remain a material risk to tower leasing and long?term growth, and analysts continue to flag tower?growth concerns despite the quarter’s beat. Crown Castle Q1 AFFO & Sales Beat Estimates Despite DISH Headwinds Crown Castle earnings on deck as tower growth concerns linger

Crown Castle Company 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.