Sanford C. Bernstein Begins Coverage on American Tower (NYSE:AMT)

Equities researchers at Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of American Tower (NYSE:AMT) in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm set a “market perform” rating and a $205.00 price target on the real estate investment trust’s stock. Sanford C. Bernstein’s target price indicates a potential upside of 8.54% from the stock’s current price.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $200.00 price target (down from $203.00) on shares of American Tower in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Scotiabank dropped their target price on American Tower from $220.00 to $214.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of American Tower from $230.00 to $210.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 16th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of American Tower from $235.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of American Tower from $220.00 to $195.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $217.35.

American Tower Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:AMT opened at $188.87 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $180.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $185.15. American Tower has a 52 week low of $166.88 and a 52 week high of $234.33. 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 company has a market cap of $88.03 billion, a PE ratio of 35.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.92.

American Tower (NYSE:AMT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.54 by ($0.79). The firm had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.62 earnings per share. American Tower has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.780-10.950 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that American Tower will post 10.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at American Tower

In related 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 transaction, the chief operating officer owned 29,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,653,551.60. This trade represents a 58.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Tower Corp /Ma/ American sold 2,288,621 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.75, for a total transaction of $159,631,314.75. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 211,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,743,685.25. This represents a 91.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Tower

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AMT. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Tower by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 63,640,168 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $12,239,277,000 after acquiring an additional 611,801 shares in the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP raised its stake in shares of American Tower by 28,121.1% in the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 37,686,978 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $6,616,703,000 after acquiring an additional 37,553,436 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in American Tower by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 20,987,534 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,719,634,000 after purchasing an additional 71,605 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of American Tower by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,499,035 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,361,675,000 after purchasing an additional 227,361 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of American Tower by 24.3% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,666,082 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,799,458,000 after buying an additional 2,474,328 shares during the last quarter. 92.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Tower News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board raised the quarterly cash distribution to $1.79/share (5.3% increase versus prior quarter), payable April 28; the raise supports the stock’s income appeal and pushes the yield to roughly 3.8%. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage with a Market Perform rating and $205 price target (~8.5% above current levels) — a modest positive signal but not a bullish endorsement. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC Capital issued a Hold (sector perform) on AMT, signaling limited near?term upside from their perspective and contributing to mixed analyst sentiment. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent press pieces (e.g., “Balances 2025 Strength With 2026 Reset”) and assorted analyst target trims reflect a view that 2025 performance was solid but 2026 requires a reset — this keeps the story mixed for growth vs. valuation. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: COO Eugene M. Noel sold 41,209 shares (?$7.9M at the sale price), cutting his stake by ~58% — a sizable insider sale that can be perceived negatively by investors even if for personal/liquidity reasons. Read More.

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.