CCI vs. SBAC: Crown Castle vs. SBA Communications Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Crown Castle (CCI) and SBA Communications (SBAC) are both classified in the Telecom Tower REITs sub-industry within the broader Specialized REITs industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Both Crown Castle (CCI) and SBA Communications (SBAC) are REITs — read their payout ratios and P/E alongside FFO (funds from operations) rather than at face value.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Neither Crown Castle (CCI) nor SBA Communications (SBAC) reports a ROE value for this period, so a direct comparison isn’t possible.

Neither Crown Castle (CCI) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) nor SBA Communications (SBAC) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) is well served by net margin: heavy depreciation makes net income a poor profitability proxy in their businesses, where FFO-based measures are the standard read.

Neither side reports a meaningful operating margin: for Crown Castle (CCI) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and SBA Communications (SBAC) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), funding costs are part of the core business, so net margin and ROE are the cleaner profitability reads.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

SBA Communications (SBAC) at 5.06% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Crown Castle (CCI) at -4.39% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

EPS growth isn't a meaningful figure for either Crown Castle (CCI) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) or SBA Communications (SBAC) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) under our convention.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Both Crown Castle (CCI) at 0.23 and SBA Communications (SBAC) at 0.19 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

Neither Crown Castle (CCI) nor SBA Communications (SBAC) reports a debt-to-equity ratio value for this period, so a direct comparison isn’t possible.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Crown Castle (CCI) at 4.67% pays a yield in its industry’s typical range, while SBA Communications (SBAC) at 2.52% falls in the bottom quartile of its peers.

An earnings-based payout ratio fits neither Crown Castle (CCI) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) nor SBA Communications (SBAC) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs): their distributions are mandated and conventionally measured against FFO, so the accounting-earnings ratio overstates both.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

P/E ratio is not a meaningful valuation yardstick for either Crown Castle (CCI) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) or SBA Communications (SBAC) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs): depreciation suppresses reported earnings in their businesses, and price-to-FFO is the conventional yardstick instead.

SBA Communications (SBAC) at 6.94 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Crown Castle (CCI) at 9.23 sits in the pricier quartile — CCI costs more per dollar of sales.

Both Crown Castle (CCI) at -11.02 and SBA Communications (SBAC) at -4.09 report negative P/B ratio values, meaning both companies have negative book equity — neither multiple is meaningful for valuation.

Valuation Metrics