Crown Castle Inc. CCI reported third-quarter 2024 adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) per share of $1.84, outpacing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.80. The reported figure also increased by 4% from the year-ago quarter.
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Results reflect a rise in site rental revenues and a decline in total operating expenses year over year. However, a decline in services and other revenues affected the results to some extent. CCI maintained its outlook for 2024.
Net revenues of $1.65 billion outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.64 billion. However, the figure fell marginally year over year.
As per Steven Moskowitz, CEO of Crown Castle, “Across all forms of digital connectivity, the U.S. is generating record annual increases in data consumption, which we expect to drive continued demand for communications infrastructure. We believe we are well positioned to benefit from these positive trends and are also actively developing initiatives that prioritize customer service, revenue generation, capital discipline, and operational excellence.”
CCI’s Third Quarter in Detail
During the third quarter, CCI’s site-rental revenues came in at $1.59 billion, up 1% from the prior year's quarter. The organic contribution of $65 million to the site rental billings reflected 4.7% year-over-year growth and was not materially impacted by the Sprint Cancellations.Our estimate for site-rental revenues was pegged at $1.57 billion.
Meanwhile, services and other revenues plunged 34.4% year over year to $59 million.
CCI’s quarterly operating expenses decreased 6.2% year over year to $1.11 billion. The operating income increased to $544 million from $486 million recorded a year ago. The quarterly adjusted EBITDA of $1.08 billion increased 2.7% year over year.
Interest expenses on debt obligations rose 9.9% year over year to $234 million.
The company reported capital expenditures of $297 million in the quarter. This comprised discretionary capital expenditures of $274 million and sustaining capital expenditures of $23 million. Discretionary capital expenditures, attributable to Fiber, were around $239 million, and those to Towers were $30 million.
CCI’s Balance Sheet
Crown Castle exited the third quarter of 2024 with cash and cash equivalents of $194 million, up from $155 million reported as of June 30, 2024.
Moreover, debt and other long-term obligations aggregated $23.45 billion as of Sept. 30, 2024, increasing 2.6% sequentially.
CCI’s 2024 Guidance
Crown Castle maintained its guidance for 2024 AFFO per share in the range of $6.91-$7.02. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $6.98, which is within the guided range.
Site rental revenues are expected between $6.317 and $6.362 billion, while the adjusted EBITDA is estimated in the band of $4.143-$4.193 billion.
Crown Castle currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Crown Castle Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Crown Castle Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Crown Castle Inc. Quote
Upcoming Earnings Releases
We now look forward to the earnings releases of other REITs like Alexandria Real Estate Equities ARE and Highwoods Properties HIW, slated to report on Oct. 21 and Oct. 22, respectively.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Alexandria’s third-quarter 2024 FFO per share stands at $2.38, indicating a 5.3% rise year over year. ARE currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Highwoods’ third-quarter 2024 FFO per share is pegged at 88 cents, implying a 5.4% year-over-year decrease. HIW currently carries a Zacks Rank #3.
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.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
