Vanderbilt University Has $4.20 Million Position in Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE:CCI)

Vanderbilt University grew its holdings in Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE:CCI - Free Report) by 18.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 35,384 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 5,401 shares during the period. Crown Castle comprises 0.8% of Vanderbilt University's portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Vanderbilt University's holdings in Crown Castle were worth $4,198,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Crown Castle during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Asset Dedication LLC boosted its stake in shares of Crown Castle by 159.0% during the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 272 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Beacon Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Crown Castle by 163.9% during the 1st quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 285 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the period. New Millennium Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Crown Castle during the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Crown Castle during the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. 90.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Crown Castle Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CCI traded up $0.14 on Monday, hitting $109.05. 1,724,566 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,633,596. The company's 50 day moving average price is $114.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $105.57. Crown Castle Inc. has a one year low of $88.61 and a one year high of $120.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.43, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.67 and a beta of 0.85.

Crown Castle (NYSE:CCI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 16th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($1.03). Crown Castle had a return on equity of 20.98% and a net margin of 18.59%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.77 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Crown Castle Inc. will post 6.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Crown Castle Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th were issued a dividend of $1.565 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $6.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.74%. Crown Castle's payout ratio is 221.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Crown Castle from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Crown Castle from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Crown Castle from $123.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Crown Castle from $104.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Crown Castle from $112.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $116.80.

About Crown Castle

Crown Castle owns, operates and leases more than 40,000 cell towers and approximately 90,000 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.