As of September 27, 2023, Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE:CCI), a real estate investment trust specializing in telecommunications infrastructure, has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from seventeen ratings firms, according to Bloomberg.com. Out of the seventeen firms covering the company, two equities research analysts have recommended selling the stock, four have suggested holding it, and eleven have advised buying it. The brokerages that have covered the stock in the past year have set an average 12-month price objective of $138.94.
In recent months, hedge funds and other institutional investors have shown interest in Crown Castle by buying and selling its shares. Norges Bank acquired a new stake worth $642,077,000 in the company during the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC also increased its position significantly by owning 3,487,430 shares after purchasing an additional 3,483,563 shares during the same period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company saw a notable increase in its stake as well—buying an additional 3,228,979 shares during the second quarter—bringing their total ownership to 4,962,062 shares. Providence Capital Advisors LLC experienced exponential growth in its position by acquiring an extra 2,789,699 shares during the first quarter and now holds a total of 2,810,309 shares. Lastly,
Cohen & Steers Inc., seeing potential in Crown Castle’s business operations and future prospects, raised its stake by purchasing an additional 2,o3987,pman791Net28psharesQduringrtheDsecondquarbre
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It is essential to note that institutional investors currently hold around 90.27% of Crown Castle’s outstanding stock.
Additionally,Crown Castle recently announced its quarterly dividend payment to shareholders scheduled for Friday, September29th. Investors who were listed on record as of Friday, September 15th, will receive a dividend of $1.565 per share. The ex-dividend date for the payment was Thursday, September 14th. With an annualized dividend of $6.26 and a dividend yield of 6.87%, Crown Castle’s current payout ratio stands at 158.88%.
In conclusion, Crown Castle Inc. has garnered a “Moderate Buy” recommendation based on its performance and outlook from various ratings firms. The company has attracted significant interest from institutional investors who have shown confidence in its potential growth in the telecommunications infrastructure sector. Furthermore,.the upcoming quarterly dividend payment demonstrates Crown Castle’s commitment to rewarding shareholders.
Overall, Crown Castle continues to be well-positioned in the market, attracting investor attention and making dividend payments that reflect confidence in its future prospects."
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Analysis of Crown Castle (NYSE:CCI) and Outlook for Future Prospects
Crown Castle (NYSE:CCI) has recently been the subject of analysis by several research firms. Barclays, for instance, has decreased its target price on Crown Castle’s shares from $137.00 to $116.00 and assigned an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report released on July 24th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Crown Castle and issued a “hold” rating on August 17th. Argus also began covering Crown Castle on August 2nd, giving the company a “buy” rating with a target price of $140.00. Royal Bank of Canada, on the other hand, lowered Crown Castle’s price target from $144.00 to $125.00 while issuing an “outperform” rating in their July 24th report. Lastly, Wells Fargo & Company revised their price objective for Crown Castle from $115.00 to $110.00 and assigned an “underweight” rating for the company in their report published on July 18th.
Trading under NYSE ticker symbol CCI, Crown Castle opened at $91.08 as of September 27, 2023. The stock experienced fluctuations within the past year, with its lowest point being $90.81 and its highest point reaching as high as $153.98 during that span of time. Furthermore, it is worth noting that the stock currently has a fifty-day moving average price of $101.76 and a two-hundred-day moving average price of $113.79.
Crown Castle has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07 and both current ratio and quick ratio stand at 0.50 each respectively—a factor that investors tend to evaluate when considering potential investments.
The market capitalization of Crown Castle stands at approximately $39.50 billion, indicating its prominence within the industry it operates in as well as its potential impact on various portfolios given its sizeable market cap. Additionally, Crown Castle possesses a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 23.12 and a beta of 0.64.
In its most recent quarterly earnings report released on July 20th, Crown Castle reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.05 for the quarter—a result that did not meet analysts’ consensus estimates who were forecasting $1.79 EPS, resulting in a gap of ($0.74). Despite falling short of expectations, the company maintained a return on equity of 23.20% and a net margin of 23.85%. Moreover, Crown Castle generated revenue amounting to $1.87 billion for the quarter, slightly surpassing analysts’ expectation set at $1.86 billion. Comparatively, in the same period last year, the company had posted an EPS of $1.80—an indication that there was a decline from previous years.
Although global economic conditions continue to fluctuate unpredictably due to various factors such as political tensions and changing consumer preferences, Crown Castle remains optimistic about its future prospects and is dedicated to providing value for its shareholders. At present, analysts forecast that Crown Castle will generate an EPS of 7.13 for the current fiscal year.
While market dynamics inevitably influence investment decisions, potential investors should take caution before formulating their own judgments based solely on historical data or analyst reports alone and instead carefully conduct their own comprehensive analysis before making any investment decisions regarding Crown Castle’s stock (NYSE:CCI).