Crown Castle Signs Deal to Sell Fiber Segment, Misses AFFO Estimates

Shares of Crown Castle Inc. CCI were up more than 4% after the tower REIT announced an agreement to sell its small cells and fiber solutions business for $8.5 billion following a strategic review of its Fiber segment. The transaction, which is expected to be closed in the first half of 2026, subject to certain closing norms and government and regulatory nods, will see EQT Active Core Infrastructure fund acquiring the small cells business and Zayo Group Holdings Inc. purchasing the fiber solutions business, each for $4.25 billion. The move will result in Crown Castle emerging as a pure-play, U.S. tower company.Crown Castle plans to use the funds for debt repayment and funding share buybacks. CCI expects to implement a $3 billion share repurchase program following the closing of the transaction and anticipates a reduction in its annualized dividend to approximately $4.25 per share in the second quarter of 2025.CCI also reported fourth-quarter 2024 adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) per share of $1.80, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.82. The figure was also down 1.1% year over year. Net revenues of $1.65 billion outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.63 billion but fell 1.5% year over year. For full-year 2024, AFFO per share was $6.98, representing an 8% decrease year over year.See the Zacks Earnings Calendar to stay ahead of market-making news.Key Earnings TakeawaysCCI’s total site-rental revenues declined 0.4% year over year to $1.597 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024. The figure was higher than our estimate of $1.589 billion. For full-year 2024, site-rental revenues decreased 2.7% to $6.36 billion as organic contribution to site rental billings was more than offset by reductions in non-cash amortization of prepaid rent and straight-lined revenues and a decrease in other revenues.However, services and other revenues came in at $52 million, which plunged 26.8% from the prior-year quarter. However, it was higher than our estimate of $49.2 million. For full-year 2024, services and other revenues were $210 million, down 53.2% from $449 million in the year-ago period.Management recorded a goodwill impairment charge of around $5.0 billion for the year ended Dec. 31, 2024, leading to no goodwill remaining with respect to the Fiber reporting unit.Adjusted EBITDA was down 3% year over year to $1.04 billion in the fourth quarter. For the full year, adjusted EBITDA declined 5.8% year over year to $4.2 billion, reflecting lower contribution from site rental revenues, a decrease in services contribution and advisory fees, mainly related to its proxy contest and the Fiber strategic review. Financial PositionCrown Castle exited 2024 with cash and cash equivalents of $119 million, up from $105 million reported as of Dec. 31, 2023. Moreover, debt and other long-term obligations aggregated $23.47 billion as of Dec. 31, 2024, increasing 6.3% year over year.2025 GuidanceCrown Castle expects 2025 AFFO per share in the range of $4.06-$4.17. For 2025, CCI expects site rental billings to be between $3.885 billion and $3.915 billion, while adjusted EBITDA is estimated to be in the band of $2.755-$2.805 billion.CCI also noted that beginning in the first quarter of 2025, the Fiber segment will be presented as a discontinued operation and its net assets will be classified as held for sale. As a result, CCI expects to recognize a loss of around $800 million in the first quarter of 2025 and a total loss between $700 million and $900 million in full-year 2025.Crown Castle currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Crown Castle Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Crown Castle Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Crown Castle Inc. QuotePerformance of Other REITsAmerican Tower AMT, a prominent independent owner, operator and developer of multitenant communications real estate, reported its fourth-quarter and full-year 2024 results in late February. AMT’s fourth-quarter 2024 AFFO per share, attributable to AMT common stockholders, of $2.32 per share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny but climbed 1.3% year over year. Fourth-quarter total revenues of $2.55 billion outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.50 billion. The figure also increased 3.7% from the prior-year quarter. It experienced steady growth in its core tower leasing business but faced headwinds from unfavorable foreign exchange impacts and churn. AMT continues to expand its data center investments, committing $600 million to strengthen its digital infrastructure.SBA Communications Corporation SBAC reported fourth-quarter 2024 adjusted AFFO per share of $3.47, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.36. The figure also reflected a rise of 3% from the prior-year quarter. SBAC results reflect an improvement in site-leasing and site-development revenues during the quarter. The company announced an increase in dividends and issued its 2025 outlook. Quarterly total revenues increased 2.8% year over year to $693.7 million. The figure also surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $681.7 million.Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO), a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.This top pick is among the most innovative financial firms. With a fast-growing customer base (already 50+ million) and a diverse set of cutting edge solutions, this stock is poised for big gains. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report American Tower Corporation (AMT): Free Stock Analysis Report Crown Castle Inc. (CCI): Free Stock Analysis Report SBA Communications Corporation (SBAC): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks