Crown Castle (NYSE:CCI) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Crown Castle (NYSE:CCI) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Friday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 4.540-4.660 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 4.380.

Crown Castle Trading Up 9.7%

NYSE:CCI traded up $7.66 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $86.49. 6,592,110 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,770,943. Crown Castle has a fifty-two week low of $65.32 and a fifty-two week high of $99.21. The company has a market capitalization of $36.80 billion, a PE ratio of 43.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $74.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $80.54.

Crown Castle (NYSE:CCI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.69 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $995.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Crown Castle had a net margin of 20.12% and a negative return on equity of 47.43%. The business’s revenue was down 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.12 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Crown Castle will post 4.38 EPS for the current year.

Crown Castle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a $1.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $4.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.9%. Crown Castle’s dividend payout ratio is 215.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on CCI. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Crown Castle from $92.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Crown Castle to $93.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Crown Castle from $88.00 to $82.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “underweight” rating and set a $80.00 target price (down from $85.00) on shares of Crown Castle in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Crown Castle from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Crown Castle currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $94.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Crown Castle news, VP Robert Collins sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.89, for a total transaction of $113,835.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 5,113 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $388,025.57. This trade represents a 22.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Crown Castle News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Raised 2026 earnings outlook: Crown Castle now expects full-year 2026 EPS of $4.54–$4.66, above the $4.38 analyst consensus. Management also raised its full-year AFFO and adjusted EBITDA outlook, with lower interest expenses helping offset weaker revenue. Crown Castle Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results and Updates Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: SpaceX could create new tower demand: SpaceX is reportedly negotiating access to at least 80,000 cell sites to support a fourth nationwide wireless carrier. Crown Castle is among the tower operators in discussions, potentially creating incremental leasing opportunities and improving the outlook for its core tower business. SpaceX in Talks for 80,000 Cell Sites
• Positive Sentiment: Q3 funds from operations beat estimates: Crown Castle reported Q3 FFO of $1.24 per share, ahead of the $1.20 consensus and up from $1.12 a year earlier. The company is also targeting more than 400 ground-lease buyouts in 2026 as it shifts toward a more focused, tower-oriented operating model. Crown Castle Tops Q3 FFO Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Wells Fargo maintained a Hold rating, while BMO lowered its price target to $91 from $93. These views suggest that the improved outlook and potential SpaceX demand are balanced by ongoing concerns about leverage and slowing revenue.
• Negative Sentiment: Underlying results were uneven: Q3 revenue fell 7.2% year over year to $995 million and missed estimates, while reported EPS of $0.67 was below the $0.69 consensus. Net debt of roughly 6.5 times adjusted EBITDA also keeps financial leverage in focus. Crown Castle Q3 Results Put Leverage in Focus

Crown Castle Company Profile

Crown Castle Inc (NYSE: CCI) is a real estate investment trust that owns, operates and leases communications infrastructure in the United States. Its assets support wireless carriers, broadcasters, government agencies and other communications providers by enabling the transmission of voice, data and video services.

The company’s infrastructure has historically included approximately 40,000 cell towers, about 90,000 route miles of fiber and a large portfolio of small-cell installations.