CCI vs SBAC Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Crown Castle and SBA Communications both operate wireless tower real estate investment trusts, but Crown Castle has diversified into a large fiber and small cell business domestically, while SBA Communications maintains a more focused tower-only model with meaningful international exposure.
Crown Castle offers a fiber-and-tower combination with domestic small cell densification exposure, while SBA Communications offers a more focused, internationally diversified tower leasing model. Consider whether you prefer Crown Castle's fiber diversification strategy or SBA's focused tower simplicity.
CCI holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. CCI has delivered stronger 1-year price return (-3.28% vs -4.56%), though SBAC has the better forward P/E setup (22.91x vs 26.37x for CCI). SBAC leads on both revenue growth (2.30%) and operating margin (52.16%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies similar upside for both: +24.86% for CCI and +21.92% for SBAC.
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- Want exposure to both traditional tower leasing and fiber or small cell network densification revenue
- Believe wireless carrier capital spending on 5G densification will continue supporting tower and fiber demand
- Are comfortable with ongoing portfolio review uncertainty around the fiber and small cell segment
- Value a large domestic tower portfolio with multi-tenant leasing economics
- Prefer a focused, tower-only business model without diversified fiber segment complexity
- Want geographic diversification through SBA's international tower operations
- Value predictable, contracted lease revenue with built-in escalators
- Are comfortable with currency translation risk tied to international market exposure
| Metric | CCI | SBAC |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 39.5 | 37.4 |
| AI ranki | #1248 | #1462 |
| Latest closei | $86.58 | $184.69 |
| 1M returni | +30.31% | +16.53% |
| 3M returni | +11.49% | -1.71% |
| 6M returni | -2.83% | -15.04% |
| 1Y returni | -3.28% | -4.56% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | CCI | SBAC |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $9.59K (-4.1%) started 2025-11-04 | $9.41K (-5.9%) started 2025-11-04 |
| 5Y ago | $6.89K (-31.1%) started 2021-11-04 | $5.89K (-41.1%) started 2021-11-04 |
| 10Y ago | $21.3K (+113.0%) started 2016-11-04 | $19.85K (+98.5%) started 2016-11-04 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | CCI | SBAC |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $33.27B | $19.6B |
| Trailing P/Ei | 31.08 | 19.93 |
| Forward P/Ei | 26.37 | 22.91 |
| Price/Salesi | N/A | 9.03 |
| EV/Revenuei | 13.16 | 12.04 |
| Analyst targeti | $95.07 | $225.25 |
| Target upsidei | +24.86% | +21.92% |
| Metric | CCI | SBAC |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | -4.90% | 2.30% |
| Earnings growthi | -67.50% | -10.50% |
| EPS growthi | -67.50% | -10.50% |
| FCF margini | +24.90% | +26.20% |
| Operating margini | 46.83% | 52.16% |
| Profit margini | 20.72% | 34.51% |
| ROIC proxyi | -206.68% | N/A |
| Return on equityi | -206.68% | N/A |
| Dividend yieldi | 5.58% | 2.71% |
| Payout ratioi | 172.76% | 50.92% |
| Dividend growth streaki | No increase yet | No increase yet |
| Betai | 0.97 | 0.99 |
| Debt/equityi | N/A | N/A |
| Current ratioi | 0.52 | 0.17 |
| Quick ratioi | 0.43 | 0.12 |
Over the past year, CCI and SBAC have moved strongly in the same direction (correlation of 0.73), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | CCI | SBAC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | -4.14% | -5.87% |
| CAGRi | -4.15% | -5.88% | |
| Volatilityi | 35.42% | 36.18% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.07 | -0.12 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.11 | -0.21 | |
| Max drawdowni | 30.02% | 29.38% | |
| Current drawdowni | 8.37% | 17.46% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 11.29% | 11.08% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 13.52% | 13.34% | |
| Max daily dropi | 8.99% | 5.06% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 10.85% | 10.90% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | -42.99% | -44.03% |
| CAGRi | -10.63% | -10.96% | |
| Volatilityi | 28.68% | 30.36% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.41 | -0.38 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.59 | -0.55 | |
| Max drawdowni | 62.52% | 57.42% | |
| Current drawdowni | 50.92% | 50.23% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 38.70% | 36.43% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 41.33% | 38.79% | |
| Max daily dropi | 8.99% | 7.81% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 14.32% | 13.61% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +40.16% | +85.79% |
| CAGRi | +3.43% | +6.39% | |
| Volatilityi | 27.07% | 28.54% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.09 | 0.20 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.13 | 0.30 | |
| Max drawdowni | 62.52% | 57.42% | |
| Current drawdowni | 50.92% | 50.23% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 21.47% | 21.08% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 29.47% | 27.93% | |
| Max daily dropi | 12.43% | 8.93% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 17.43% | 18.65% |
| Category | CCI | SBAC |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Crown Castle Inc. | SBA Communications Corporation |
| Sector | Real Estate | Real Estate |
| Industry | REIT - Specialty | REIT - Specialty |
| Core business | A real estate investment trust owning and leasing shared wireless communications infrastructure, including cell towers and a large fiber network, to wireless carriers and other tenants across the United States. | A real estate investment trust that owns and operates wireless communications towers, leasing tower space to wireless carriers domestically and across a number of international markets. |
| Investor focus | Fiber and small cell business strategy and profitability, tower leasing revenue growth, and dividend sustainability amid portfolio review decisions. | Domestic tower leasing growth, international market expansion and currency exposure, and dividend growth funded by tower cash flow. |
- Large domestic tower portfolio provides recurring, contracted lease revenue with built-in escalators
- Extensive fiber network positions the company to serve small cell and fiber solutions demand tied to network densification
- Multi-tenant tower leasing model generates high incremental margins as additional carriers are added to existing structures
- Focused, tower-only business model provides a simpler, more predictable leasing revenue stream than diversified peers
- International tower operations provide geographic diversification and exposure to earlier-stage wireless network buildout markets
- Contracted lease structures with built-in escalators support predictable long-term cash flow growth
- Fiber and small cell segment profitability and strategic direction have been subject to ongoing portfolio review and potential divestiture
- Revenue growth depends on continued wireless carrier capital spending on network densification and 5G buildout
- Elevated leverage levels require careful management of dividend payout relative to cash flow generation
- International operations introduce currency translation risk and exposure to emerging market economic conditions
- Tower leasing growth depends on continued wireless carrier network investment, which can slow during capital spending pauses
- Interest rate sensitivity affects both the REIT's borrowing costs and its relative valuation versus other income investments
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