Zacks: Brokerages Expect Crown Castle International Corp. (NYSE:CCI) Will Post Earnings of $1.79 Per Share

Equities research analysts predict that Crown Castle International Corp. (NYSE:CCI – Get Rating) will announce $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks. Six analysts have issued estimates for Crown Castle International’s earnings. The lowest EPS estimate is $1.77 and the highest is $1.83. Crown Castle International reported earnings of $1.71 per share in the same quarter last year, which suggests a positive year over year growth rate of 4.7%. The business is expected to report its next earnings results on Monday, January 1st.

On average, analysts expect that Crown Castle International will report full-year earnings of $7.35 per share for the current year, with EPS estimates ranging from $7.21 to $7.40. For the next fiscal year, analysts anticipate that the business will post earnings of $7.72 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $7.57 to $7.86. Zacks Investment Research’s EPS calculations are an average based on a survey of research analysts that follow Crown Castle International.

Crown Castle International (NYSE:CCI – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.03. Crown Castle International had a net margin of 22.12% and a return on equity of 17.40%. The company had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.71 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

A number of research firms have recently commented on CCI. Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of Crown Castle International from $184.00 to $206.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 22nd. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Crown Castle International from $200.00 to $204.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 27th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Crown Castle International in a research note on Thursday, March 31st. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Crown Castle International from $207.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 7th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group lifted their price target on shares of Crown Castle International from $204.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $205.62.

Shares of NYSE:CCI traded up $4.44 during trading on Friday, reaching $176.49. The stock had a trading volume of 1,854,980 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,489,235. Crown Castle International has a 52 week low of $157.16 and a 52 week high of $209.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.53 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $183.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $183.91.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 15th will be paid a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 14th. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.33%. Crown Castle International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 175.00%.

In related news, COO Catherine Piche sold 2,500 shares of Crown Castle International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.41, for a total value of $441,025.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Kevin A. Stephens purchased 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 22nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $162.30 per share, with a total value of $324,600.00. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 19,500 shares of company stock worth $3,702,255 in the last 90 days. 0.47% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CCI. North Star Investment Management Corp. bought a new stake in Crown Castle International during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Ten Capital Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Crown Castle International by 1,007.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ten Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 155 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Rational Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Crown Castle International by 139.6% in the 4th quarter. Rational Advisors LLC now owns 127 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co bought a new stake in shares of Crown Castle International in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, IAG Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Crown Castle International by 277.8% in the 4th quarter. IAG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 136 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 91.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Crown Castle International Company Profile (Get Rating)

Crown Castle owns, operates and leases more than 40,000 cell towers and approximately 80,000 route miles of fiber supporting small cells and fiber solutions across every major U.S. market. This nationwide portfolio of communications infrastructure connects cities and communities to essential data, technology and wireless service – bringing information, ideas and innovations to the people and businesses that need them.

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