Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. Raises Position in American Tower Corporation $AMT

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its stake in American Tower Corporation (NYSE:AMT) by 11.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 40,480 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 4,225 shares during the quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in American Tower were worth $7,107,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AMT. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. purchased a new position in American Tower in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. lifted its stake in American Tower by 90.7% in the 4th quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 143 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new position in American Tower in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in American Tower in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Steph & Co. lifted its stake in American Tower by 87.2% in the 4th quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 176 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. 92.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Tower News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting American Tower this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and upgraded outlook — AMT reported AFFO and revenue above estimates and raised FY?2026 guidance, giving the stock fundamental support from recurring cash flow strength. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: CoreSite/AI tailwinds — CoreSite launched 100Gbps connectivity across its Open Cloud Exchange to target AI/ML and high?bandwidth workloads, supporting data?center growth that can diversify AMT’s revenue mix. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend lift — the company raised the quarterly dividend (to $1.79) paid late April, reinforcing the REIT income profile that appeals to yield?oriented holders. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — several firms raised price targets or reiterated buy/overweight stances (e.g., Truist raised its target), which underpins medium?term upside expectations. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan recalibration — JPM trimmed its target from $245 to $240 but kept an overweight rating; this is a modest adjustment rather than a downgrade and leaves meaningful upside. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC reaffirmed sector?perform ($195) — mixed analyst views persist across brokers, creating intra?day volatility as investors weigh growth vs. valuation. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling under 10b5?1 — EVP Ruth T. Dowling sold small lots (pre?arranged plan); routine plan sales can seed supply but do not necessarily signal deteriorating fundamentals. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Critical commentary on valuation/catalysts — some analysts and commentators argue AMT lacks near?term re?rating catalysts and flag margin/valuation risks, which can prompt short?term profit?taking. Read More.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on AMT shares. New Street Research raised shares of American Tower from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $203.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of American Tower from $209.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of American Tower from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of American Tower from $205.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of American Tower from $205.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $218.05.

American Tower Trading Down 0.5%

AMT opened at $181.72 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07, a current ratio of 0.43 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $180.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $180.03. American Tower Corporation has a 1-year low of $165.08 and a 1-year high of $234.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.90.

American Tower (NYSE:AMT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.84 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.66 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.75 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. American Tower has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.900-11.07 EPS. Analysts expect that American Tower Corporation will post 10.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Tower Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 14th were issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 14th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. This is an increase from American Tower’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. American Tower’s payout ratio is 115.67%.

Insider Transactions at American Tower

In other news, COO Eugene M. Noel sold 41,209 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 29,592 shares in the company, valued at $5,653,551.60. This trade represents a 58.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Rajesh Kalathur purchased 2,671 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $185.30 per share, with a total value of $494,936.30. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 4,936 shares in the company, valued at approximately $914,640.80. The trade was a 117.92% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders sold 42,181 shares of company stock worth $8,046,071 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

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.