American Tower Corporation (NYSE:AMT) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

American Tower Corporation (NYSE:AMT) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $217.35.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of American Tower in a report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on American Tower from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Scotiabank cut their price objective on American Tower from $220.00 to $214.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of American Tower in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $205.00 target price on the stock. Finally, New Street Research raised shares of American Tower from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $203.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, January 5th.

American Tower Trading Down 3.5%

Shares of NYSE:AMT opened at $170.25 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $182.43 and its 200-day moving average is $182.94. American Tower has a 52-week low of $166.88 and a 52-week high of $234.33. The company has a market cap of $79.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.59, a P/E/G ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60.

American Tower (NYSE:AMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.54 by ($0.79). American Tower had a net margin of 23.76% and a return on equity of 24.36%. The company had revenue of $2.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.62 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. American Tower has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.780-10.950 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that American Tower will post 10.14 earnings per share for the current year.

American Tower Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 14th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.2%. This is a positive change from American Tower’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.70. American Tower’s payout ratio is 126.16%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Rajesh Kalathur bought 2,671 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $185.30 per share, with a total value of $494,936.30. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 4,936 shares in the company, valued at approximately $914,640.80. The trade was a 117.92% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Eugene M. Noel sold 41,209 shares of American Tower stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.05, for a total value of $7,872,979.45. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 29,592 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,653,551.60. This trade represents a 58.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Tower

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Tower in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Tower by 90.7% during the fourth quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 143 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Swiss RE Ltd. bought a new stake in American Tower in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Abound Wealth Management lifted its position in American Tower by 137.3% in the 3rd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 140 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in American Tower in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors own 92.69% of the company’s stock.

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.