LIVE
LUMN
Lumen Technologies, Inc. · Communication Services - Enterprise Fiber & Telecom
$8.20
-10.77% this month
VERSUS
⟷
COMPARE
UNIT
Uniti Group Inc. · Real Estate - Telecom Infrastructure REIT
$11.64
+9.09% this month
Scoreboard verdict
Across AI score, momentum, valuation, upside, operating margin
LUMN
3
UNIT
0
Comparison scoreboard
LUMN LEADS 3/5AI Score
LUMN ✓26.6
UNIT 25.6
1Y Return
LUMN ✓+106.03%
UNIT +71.33%
Fwd P/E
LUMN -28.85
UNIT N/A
Target Up.
LUMN ✓-2.36%
UNIT -11.94%
Op. Margin
LUMN -0.69%
UNIT N/A
Metrics last refreshed: 6/20/2026
Quick take
LUMN vs UNIT Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
LUMN (Lumen Technologies) is an enterprise fiber networking company managing legacy decline while building new digital platform revenues, while UNIT (Uniti Group) is a telecom infrastructure REIT that owns and leases fiber and telecom assets on long-term contracts. Lumen is an operating telecom company facing restructuring challenges; Uniti is a passive fiber infrastructure REIT dependent on its tenant relationships.
LUMN vs UNIT is enterprise fiber telecom operating company (Lumen's restructuring bet on enterprise digital services) versus passive telecom infrastructure REIT (Uniti's net-lease fiber income vehicle) — very different risk profiles within the fiber infrastructure space.
Live analysis · updated 6/20/2026
LUMN holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. LUMN has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+106.03% vs +71.33% for UNIT). Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for LUMN (-2.36%) than for UNIT (-11.94%).
Normalized 1Y performance
LUMN
UNIT
Recent returns
LUMN
UNIT
Analyst price targets & sentiment
LUMN
Price target range
analyst mean$8.29
current price$8.20
-2.4% upside to analyst mean
UNIT · 9 analysts
Price target range
analyst low$6.00
analyst high$16.00
analyst mean$10.25
current price$11.64
-11.9% upside to analyst mean
Who should consider this stock?
LUMN may suit investors who:
- →Want exposure to Lumen's restructuring and debt management potential — the company has significant assets in enterprise fiber and the Level 3 network that may be undervalued relative to liabilities
- →Value Lumen's federal government and public sector enterprise relationships as long-term revenue contracts supporting the core fiber business
- →Accept significant financial risk from Lumen's debt challenges in exchange for potential upside if the restructuring stabilizes and enterprise revenues recover
UNIT may suit investors who:
- →Want telecom infrastructure REIT exposure with long-term net lease cash flows from fiber and telecom assets, structured as a yield vehicle with REIT distributions
- →Value Uniti Fiber's fiber deployment business as a growth layer on top of the master lease income from Windstream and other tenants
- →Accept concentration risk from Windstream as the primary tenant in exchange for the REIT structure's tax efficiency and contracted income stream
Performance & AI score
| Metric | LUMN | UNIT |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 26.6 | 25.6 |
| AI rank | #2581 | #2734 |
| Latest close | $8.20 | $11.64 |
| 1M return | -10.77% | +9.09% |
| 6M return | +7.47% | +62.34% |
| 1Y return | +106.03% | +71.33% |
$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | LUMN | UNIT |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $20.6K (+106.0%) started 2025-06-18 | $17.13K (+71.3%) started 2025-06-18 |
| 5Y ago | $5.85K (-41.5%) started 2021-06-18 | $12.83K (+28.3%) started 2021-06-18 |
| 10Y ago | $2.97K (-70.3%) started 2016-06-20 | $16.19K (+61.9%) started 2016-06-20 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
Valuation & upside potential
| Metric | LUMN | UNIT |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $8.75B | $2.83B |
| Trailing P/E | N/A | 2.62 |
| Forward P/E | -28.85 | N/A |
| Price/Sales | N/A | 0.97 |
| EV/Revenue | 1.68 | 4.48 |
| Analyst target | $8.29 | $10.25 |
| Target upside | -2.36% | -11.94% |
Growth, profitability & risk
| Metric | LUMN | UNIT |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | -8.90% | 236.00% |
| Earnings growth | N/A | N/A |
| EPS growth | N/A | N/A |
| FCF margin | -16.17% | +3.98% |
| Operating margin | -0.69% | N/A |
| Profit margin | -14.34% | 41.74% |
| ROIC proxy | -78.94% | N/A |
| Return on equity | -78.94% | N/A |
| Dividend yield | N/A | 0.00% |
| Beta | 1.72 | 1.42 |
| Debt/equity | 6203.11 | 3476.07 |
| Current ratio | 0.99 | 1.54 |
| Quick ratio | 0.78 | 1.14 |
Drawdown & downside risk
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
1Y risk snapshot
LUMN max drawdown47.34%
UNIT max drawdown44.37%
LUMN max wkly drop30.24%
UNIT max wkly drop23.44%
5Y risk snapshot
LUMN max drawdown93.13%
UNIT max drawdown76.84%
LUMN max wkly drop30.24%
UNIT max wkly drop36.98%
10Y risk snapshot
LUMN max drawdown96.88%
UNIT max drawdown83.89%
LUMN max wkly drop30.24%
UNIT max wkly drop52.59%
Performance metrics by period
| Period | Metric | LUMN | UNIT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | +106.03% | +71.33% |
| CAGR | +106.13% | +71.39% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.25 | 1.19 | |
| Max drawdown | 47.34% | 44.37% | |
| Max daily drop | 21.63% | 10.38% | |
| Max wkly drop | 30.24% | 23.44% | |
| 5Y | Growth | -41.47% | -9.10% |
| CAGR | -10.16% | -1.89% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.21 | 0.15 | |
| Max drawdown | 93.13% | 76.84% | |
| Max daily drop | 32.88% | 26.37% | |
| Max wkly drop | 30.24% | 36.98% | |
| 10Y | Growth | -70.26% | -46.67% |
| CAGR | -11.43% | -6.10% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.07 | 0.07 | |
| Max drawdown | 96.88% | 83.89% | |
| Max daily drop | 32.88% | 37.39% | |
| Max wkly drop | 30.24% | 52.59% |
Business comparison
| Category | LUMN | UNIT |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Lumen Technologies, Inc. | Uniti Group Inc. |
| Sector | Communication Services | Real Estate - Telecom Infrastructure REIT |
| Industry | N/A | N/A |
| Core business | Lumen Technologies is a global digital infrastructure company providing enterprise fiber-based networking, cloud connectivity, security, and professional services to large businesses, governments, and public sector entities — restructuring after significant debt challenges from the combination of CenturyLink and Level 3 Communications. | Uniti Group is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires and constructs mission-critical fiber and telecom infrastructure and leases it to telecom carriers, ISPs, and enterprises — providing passive infrastructure exposure to fiber deployment through long-term net leases. |
| Investor focus | Investors track Lumen's enterprise revenue trends (enterprise business is the strategic future), consumer ILEC (rural wireline) trajectory, free cash flow generation, and debt management as the company works through its significant leverage from the CenturyLink-Level 3 merger. | Investors track Uniti's leased fiber revenue, Windstream lease contribution (the primary tenant), AFFO (adjusted funds from operations) per share, new fiber deployment progress (Uniti Fiber), and the Windstream relationship as the company's largest single customer. |
LUMN strengths
- →Level 3 network — Lumen's backbone includes the former Level 3 fiber network with a large long-haul fiber capacity asset serving enterprise and carrier customers globally
- →Enterprise connectivity demand from cloud migration, SD-WAN, and cybersecurity creates recurring demand for fiber-based enterprise services in Lumen's segment
- →Federal government and public sector customer relationships provide large, long-term revenue contracts
UNIT strengths
- →REIT structure provides tax-efficient pass-through income distributions to shareholders — telecom infrastructure REIT model converts fiber assets into yield-generating investment vehicles
- →Long-term net leases with telecom customers provide highly visible, contracted cash flows from fiber infrastructure with inflation escalators
- →Uniti Fiber builds fiber in underserved markets and leases to ISPs and enterprises — a growing revenue stream beyond the Windstream master lease
Risks to watch — LUMN
- →Lumen has significant debt challenges — the company has had to work through debt restructuring after taking on substantial leverage from the CenturyLink-Level 3 merger
- →Consumer wireline business (legacy copper ILEC territory) is in structural decline as consumers move to cable broadband and wireless
- →Enterprise revenue has been under pressure as legacy products decline faster than new products ramp — Lumen must grow new digital services faster than legacy service revenue erosion
Risks to watch — UNIT
- →Concentration risk — Uniti's primary tenant is Windstream (a rural CLEC telecom company), and Windstream's financial health is critical to Uniti's cash flow stability
- →Telecom infrastructure REIT sector is less widely understood than traditional real estate REITs, potentially limiting the investor base and valuation multiples
- →Fiber deployment economics require capital investment before long-term lease revenue materializes — AFFO can be depressed by the capital-intensive nature of fiber builds
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