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CCI·Crown Castle Inc.

$73.24
-0.93 (-1.25%)
After Hours
High
$73.83
Open
$71.82
Market Cap
31.58B
52W High
$100.50
Low
$71.36
P. Close
$73.24
P/E
36.63
52W Low
$69.72
Fwd P/E
25.69
DailyIQ Est.
$97.46
Inst. Ownership
46.0%
Short Interest
2.25%
Days to Cover
4.2
Technical Score (1D)
0
SELL
News Sentiment
48
MIXED
Crown Castle’s board has just announced a $1.06 per‑share dividend to be paid on September 30, 2026, with an ex‑dividend date of September 15; the payout is tied to the company’s current cash position and its plan to divest all fiber assets in the first half of 2026, leaving CCI a pure tower operator. The dividend signals management’s confidence that the tower‑only business can sustain shareholder returns, but investors should monitor whether the cash flow from tower leases will support the payout once the fiber sale completes and the revenue mix narrows. Two days earlier, the company named Chief Commercial Officer Kris Hinson as its new CFO effective April 1, 2024, following the retirement of Sunit Patel; the transition may introduce short‑term accounting and reporting adjustments, and the new CFO’s focus on commercial strategy could shift capital allocation priorities. The leadership shuffle also coincides with the announced departure of COO Cathy Piche on September 23, 2024, a change that could affect operational oversight during the tower‑only transition. A week ago, JPMorgan downgraded CCI to underweight and cut its price target from $85 to $80, reflecting a reassessment of the company’s valuation relative to peers in the telecom infrastructure sector; this downgrade may temper investor enthusiasm and influence short‑term trading sentiment. The downgrade underscores the market’s sensitivity to CCI’s debt levels and the potential impact of rising interest rates on tower financing costs. Over the next 1–10 trading days, watch for any updates on the fiber divestiture timeline, as delays could affect cash flow projections and dividend sustainability. Also keep an eye on the CFO’s first earnings release, which will reveal whether the new leadership is adjusting capital discipline or pursuing growth initiatives. Finally, monitor analyst coverage for any further rating changes, as a sustained downgrade trend could shift the stock’s risk‑return profile for value‑oriented investors.
Earnings Summary
Crown Castle International (CCI) operates as a leading U.S. shared communications infrastructure REIT, owning roughly 40,000 cell towers and a 90,000‑mile fiber network that underpin wireless and data services across major markets. In the most recent quarters, Q1 2026 revenue of $1.01 billion exceeded the $994.8 million estimate, while EPS of $1.02 beat the $0.4709 forecast, marking a 58% YoY revenue rise and a 118% EPS increase from Q1 2025. The company’s Q2 2026 results continued the upward trend with $1.008 billion revenue versus a $1.006 billion estimate and EPS of $1.13 beating the $0.3883 forecast, reflecting a 1.5% revenue acceleration and a 29% EPS lift over the prior quarter. Historically, CCI has posted consistent revenue growth, with Q3 2025 revenue at $1.072 billion and Q4 2024 at $1.649 billion, while EPS has generally outpaced estimates, achieving a 3‑quarter streak of beats in the last four quarters. Recent news highlights a $1.06 per‑share dividend slated for September 30, 2026, tied to the company’s plan to divest all fiber assets in the first half of 2026, thereby transitioning CCI to a pure tower operator; this move could narrow the revenue mix but may reinforce cash‑flow stability for dividend support. Investors should watch the timing and completion of the fiber divestiture, as delays could impact cash‑flow projections and dividend sustainability, and monitor the new CFO’s first earnings release for any shifts in capital discipline or growth initiatives. Key will be the company’s ability to maintain lease renewal rates and manage debt maturity schedules amid rising interest rates, which could influence future cash‑flow flexibility and dividend policy.

EPS

EstBeatMiss
$-0.22$0.16$0.54$0.92$1.31Q1'25Q2'25Q3'25Q1'26Q2'26Q3'26
QtrEstActual+/−
Q3'26$0.68 - -
Q2'26$0.39$1.13+191.0%
Q1'26$0.47$1.02+116.6%
Q3'25$0.49$0.64+30.6%
Q2'25$0.51$0.61+19.6%
Q1'25$-0.05$0.65+1485.3%

Revenue

EstBeatMiss
$983M$1.0B$1.0B$1.1B$1.1BQ1'25Q2'25Q3'25Q1'26Q2'26Q3'26
QtrEstActual+/−
Q3'26$1.0B - -
Q2'26$1.0B$1.0B+0.1%
Q1'26$995M$1.0B+1.5%
Q3'25 - $1.1B -
Q2'25 - $1.1B -
Q1'25 - $1.1B -

Market Data

CCI Stock Snapshot

SELL0/100
$73.25+$0.01 (0.0%)
Market cap
31.58B
P/E ratio
36.6
Day range
$71.36 – $73.83
News sentiment
48/100 · Neutral
Analyst target
$95.07 (+29.8%)
Consensus
Buy · 27 analysts
52-week range+5.1% off low · -27.1% from high
$69.72$100.50
Price $73.25 DailyIQ Est. $97.46

Price action on CCI is defensive - rallies are being sold rather than extended. Earnings and guidance carry more weight than macro data at this capitalisation.

Behaviour On Record

What CCI's own history says about today's numbers

Realized volatility (21d)
25.1% 72nd pct
Below its peak
-65.3%
vs 200-day average
-14.1%
Up days (1y)
50%

Crown Castle Inc. is currently running 25.1% annualised volatility over the last 21 sessions. Measured against CCI's own 13 years of daily returns rather than a market-wide average, that is the 72nd percentile a little above its own norm, against a typical reading of 20.8%. The distinction matters because a number that looks calm for one stock is turbulent for another, and the absolute figure on its own tells you neither.

CCI is trading -65.3% below its running peak. Across 12 full years on file, its median worst-drawdown-in-a-year was -19.0%, and the deepest was -43.9% in 2023. The current drawdown is already deeper than this stock's typical annual low point, which puts it in the part of its range where past recoveries began — and where past declines also continued.

Price sits -14.1% from its 200-day moving average. Against every other day in its history, that gap ranks at the 8th percentile a narrower gap than it typically runs. Over the past year CCI closed higher on 50% of sessions, and it is currently 2 sessions into a falling streak.

On September specifically: over 14 years of records, CCI finished the month higher 4 of 14 times, with a median return of -2.6% and an average of -3.6%. Its strongest month historically has been November at +3.5% on average, its weakest September at -3.6%. Seasonality is a weak signal on its own — a decade is a small sample and regimes change — but it is a real distribution rather than a rule of thumb.

Overnight risk is measurable too: CCI has opened more than 2% away from the prior close in 82 of 3,268 sessions (2.5% of the time), with the largest gaps running +7.0% and -9.1%. For anyone holding through an event, that rate is a better guide to overnight exposure than the intraday range.

All figures computed from 3,269 daily closes between 2013-09-16 and 2026-09-15, split-adjusted, recomputed daily. Percentiles are against CCI's own 13-year history, not a peer group or index.

Sector Rotation

Is money rotating into or out of CCI's sector?

Crown Castle Inc. sits in the Real Estate sector, currently ranked 8th of 11 GICS sectors by relative-strength rotation score (lagging).

Sector rank
#8 of 11
Sector state
Lagging
Sector rotation score
40

Options Market

What is the options market pricing for CCI?

CallsPuts

For Crown Castle Inc.'s nearest expiry (2026-09-18, 3 days out), open interest is call-heavy, a bullish tilt (put/call ratio of 0.70), with at-the-money implied volatility around 43.7%. The options market is pricing roughly a ±5.3% move by that expiry — a range of about $72.35–$80.45.

Put/call ratio (2026-09-18)
0.70
ATM implied volatility
43.7%
Total open interest
10,579
Expected move by 2026-09-18
±5.3% ($72.35–$80.45)

Analyst Rating Changes

Are analysts turning bullish or bearish on CCI?

JP Morgan most recently downgraded Crown Castle Inc. to Underweight on Sep 14, 2026 with a price target of $80 (from $85). Over the last 90 days, coverage has run 1 upgrade against 1 downgrade, a net mixed lean.

Latest action
JP MorganUnderweight
90-day upgrades
1
90-day downgrades
1
Net rating momentum
0
DateFirmActionRatingPrice target
Sep 14, 2026JP MorganDowngradeNeutral → Underweight$85 → $80
Aug 20, 2026BarclaysUpgradeEqual-Weight → Overweight$92 → $84
Jul 28, 2026Truist SecuritiesMaintainedHold$95 → $87
Jul 24, 2026CitigroupMaintainedBuy$106 → $98
Jul 24, 2026CitizensMaintainedMarket Outperform$125 → $120
Jul 23, 2026JP MorganMaintainedNeutral$95 → $85
Jul 23, 2026TD CowenMaintainedBuy$94 → $92
Jul 23, 2026RBC CapitalMaintainedOutperform$92 → $90
May 20, 2026Wolfe ResearchDowngradeOutperform → Peer Perform-
May 5, 2026BarclaysMaintainedEqual-Weight$91 → $92
Apr 23, 2026KeybancMaintainedOverweight$98 → $105
Mar 31, 2026Truist SecuritiesInitiatedBuy → Hold$90

CCI Competitive Positioning

Crown Castle Inc. (CCI) is tracked alongside these names in REIT - Specialty on DailyIQ — ranked by market cap, with today's move alongside.