Houston, Texas-based Crown Castle Inc. (CCI) is a real estate investment trust that owns and operates wireless infrastructure, including cell towers, small-cell networks, and fiber assets. Valued at a market cap of $37.8 billion, it leases these facilities to major mobile carriers under long-term contracts, generating stable, recurring revenue.
This specialty REIT has underperformed the broader market over the past 52 weeks. CCI has declined 4.8% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has gained 15.5%. On a YTD basis, the stock is down 4.4%, outpacing SPX’s 1.9% return.
Narrowing the focus, CCI has also lagged behind the Pacer Benchmark Data & Infrastructure Real Estate SCTR ETF’s (SRVR) 3.8% uptick over the past 52 weeks and 6.5% return in 2026.
Over the past year, Crown Castle has trailed the broader market due to sluggish revenue and earnings trends, weaker site rental growth, investor concerns about its strategic transition and dividend cuts amid asset divestitures.
For FY2026 that ended in December, analysts expect CCI’s FFO to decline 41% year over year to $4.12 per share. The company’s earnings surprise history is promising. It topped the consensus estimates in each of the last four quarters.
Among the 19 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy,” which is based on 10 “Strong Buy,” one “Moderate Buy,” and eight “Hold” ratings.
This configuration is slightly more bullish than a month ago, with nine analysts suggesting a “Strong Buy” rating.
On January 21, 2026, KeyBanc Capital Markets analyst Brandon Nispel reaffirmed an “Overweight” rating on Crown Castle while trimming the price target to $115 from $120, reflecting a 4.17% cut. The maintained rating signals continued confidence in the company’s long-term performance despite the lowered target.
The mean price target of $106.78 represents a 25.7% premium from CCI’s current price levels, while the Street-high price target of $125 suggests an upside potential of 47.1%.
On the date of publication, Kritika Sarmah did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.
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