Crown Castle

CCI · NYSE

$81.14+$0.08 (+0.10%)TodayMarket closed · Oct 20, 4:05 PM ET

Prev close $81.06

CCI analyst rating

BuyConsensus of 16 analysts over the last 12 months. 56% rate it a buy.

Strong buy0
Buy9
Hold6
Underperform1
Sell0

12-month price target · 23 analysts

Average $96.10 (+18.4% upside)

Low: $81.81
Now: $81.14
High: $126.00

Upgrades and downgrades

The latest rating actions, newest first

CCI analyst upgrades, downgrades and rating actions
Firm	Date	Action	Rating	Price target	Hit rate
Barclays	Sep 30, 2026	Maintains	Overweight	$84.00 → $86.00	32%
JP Morgan	Sep 14, 2026	Downgrade	Neutral → Underweight	$85.00 → $80.00	50%
Barclays	Aug 20, 2026	Upgrade	Equal-Weight → Overweight	$92.00 → $84.00	32%
Truist Securities	Jul 28, 2026	Maintains	Hold	$95.00 → $87.00	58%
Citigroup	Jul 24, 2026	Maintains	Buy	$106.00 → $98.00	59%
Citizens	Jul 24, 2026	Maintains	Market Outperform	$125.00 → $120.00	47%
JP Morgan	Jul 23, 2026	Maintains	Neutral	$95.00 → $85.00	50%
TD Cowen	Jul 23, 2026	Maintains	Buy	$94.00 → $92.00	41%
RBC Capital	Jul 23, 2026	Maintains	Outperform	$92.00 → $90.00	39%
Goldman Sachs	Jun 26, 2026	Initiates	Neutral	$95.00	68%

The case for and against

Updated Oct 21, 2026

Bull case

Crown Castle is viewed favorably because its completed May 1, 2026 divestiture of Fiber/Small Cell and the planned 2026 shift to a pure-play U.S. tower operator simplify the story around recurring site rental cash flows, improved financial flexibility, and disciplined capital returns. The 2Q26 update showed solid top-line performance, with 2026 midpoint guidance of $3,856M in site rental revenue, $2,690M of adjusted EBITDA, and $1,975M of AFFO, even as DISH churn is expected to total $220M in 2026 and leasing recovery remains gradual. Management’s cost actions, including lower site rental O&O and SG&A and potential 200 bps EBITDA margin expansion over the next few years, support a stronger return profile and constructive long-term growth.

Bear case

Crown Castle is facing a softer-than-expected leasing recovery, with management now modeling 2027 site rental revenue growth of 2.5% versus 4.0% previously and AFFO/share of $4.89, as carrier spending remains subdued and spectrum-related amendment timing is uncertain. Its heavy dependence on the Big Three carriers and a 2Q26 decline in site rental revenue of 4.1% underscore vulnerability to churn, non-renewals, and consolidation, while management-reported net organic tower growth slipped to -2.2%, signaling weak incremental demand. Even after the fiber divestiture is finalized in the first half of 2026, the stand-alone tower business still faces interest-rate sensitivity, satellite-broadband competition, and execution risk around cost savings and lease-up growth.

Information on this page is provided for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Market data is delayed at least 15 minutes and is provided without warranty. Analyst ratings, price targets and company data come from third-party sources. Past performance does not guarantee future results.