KeyBanc Reaffirms Crown Castle (CCI) Buy Rating Following Strong Q3 Performance

Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE:CCI) ranks among the stocks in Bill Gates’ portfolio that analysts are watching. Following the third-quarter 2025 results for Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE:CCI), KeyBanc reaffirmed its Overweight rating and $120 price target on the company’s shares on October 23. Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE:CCI) delivered better-than-expected results across all key measures in the quarter, leading to the company improving its expectations for site leasing, services, adjusted EBITDA, and AFFO per share.

Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE:CCI) reported $1.07 billion in revenue for the quarter, a 35.1% decrease from the same period a year earlier. Meanwhile, EPS reached $1.12, up from $0.70 in the same period last year. With the exception of Sprint Cancellations, the company announced a 5.2% organic increase in site rental billings and placed an emphasis on becoming the largest U.S. tower operator following the sale of its Fiber Business.

According to KeyBanc, Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE:CCI) is the “best positioned among Towers given its pure U.S. Tower exposure, cost takeout opportunity, and capital return.” Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE:CCI) is expected to achieve mid-20% AFFO per share growth in the first year following the completion of its fiber sale, with high single-digit to low double-digit expansion afterward.

Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE:CCI) is a major player in the real estate investment trust (REIT) sector, with a sizable portfolio that comprises over 40,000 cell towers.

While we acknowledge the potential of CCI as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

READ NEXT: 10 Best Magic Formula Stocks for 2025 and 10 Best Retirement Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.