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SBAC vs. WELL: SBA Communications vs. Welltower Stock Comparison

How do SBA Communications (SBAC) and Welltower (WELL) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

SBA Communications (SBAC) and Welltower (WELL) both fall under the Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group, but SBAC is classified in Specialized REITs while WELL is classified in Health Care REITs.

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

Company profile comparison for SBA Communications (SBAC) and Welltower (WELL)
Profile ItemSBACWELL
NameSBA Communications CorporationWelltower Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorReal EstateReal Estate
GICS Industry GroupEquity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
GICS IndustrySpecialized REITsHealth Care REITs
GICS Sub-IndustryTelecom Tower REITsHealth Care REITs
Market Capitalization19.78 billion USD179.74 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateJune 16, 1999March 19, 1980
Security TypeREITREIT

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

SBAC
WELL
GSPC
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SBA Communications (SBAC) vs. Welltower (WELL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for SBA Communications (SBAC) and Welltower (WELL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for SBA Communications (SBAC) and Welltower (WELL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for SBA Communications (SBAC) and Welltower (WELL)
MetricSBACWELL
Total Return (1Y)-0.77%31.94%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-2.37%45.79%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-9.88%26.70%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

SBAC
WELL
GSPC
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SBA Communications (SBAC) vs. Welltower (WELL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for SBA Communications (SBAC) and Welltower (WELL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for SBA Communications (SBAC) and Welltower (WELL)
MetricSBACWELL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)36.62%23.54%
Beta (5Y)0.960.78
Max Drawdown (5Y)-55.90%-40.78%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.01M2.75M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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SBAC and WELL are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for SBA Communications (SBAC) and Welltower (WELL)
MetricSBACWELL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.141.17
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.241.69

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Welltower (WELL) earns 3.92% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; SBA Communications (SBAC) has no ROE this period.

SBAC

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

--

Max
22.74%
Q3
10.54%
Median
6.38%
Q1
1.69%
Min
-10.86%
SBAC
--

WELL

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

3.92%

Max
22.74%
Q3
10.54%
Median
6.38%
WELL
3.92%
Q1
1.69%
Min
-10.86%
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SBA Communications (SBAC) vs. Welltower (WELL): SBAC does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; WELL is benchmarked against the Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Neither SBA Communications (SBAC) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) nor Welltower (WELL) 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.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Neither side reports a meaningful operating margin: for SBA Communications (SBAC) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Welltower (WELL) 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

Profitability metrics for SBA Communications (SBAC) and Welltower (WELL)
MetricSBACWELL
ROE (TTM)--3.92%
ROA (TTM)8.17%0.93%
Net Margin (TTM)----
Operating Margin (TTM)----
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Welltower (WELL) at 35.82% clears its industry range for revenue growth, far stronger top-line momentum than SBA Communications (SBAC) at 5.06%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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SBA Communications (SBAC) vs. Welltower (WELL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for SBA Communications (SBAC) and Welltower (WELL)
MetricSBACWELL
Revenue Growth (YoY)5.06%35.82%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)2.25%22.69%
EPS Growth (YoY)----
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)----

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Welltower (WELL) at 1.66 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while SBA Communications (SBAC) at 0.19 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for SBAC.

SBAC

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

0.19

Max
4.19
Q3
2.11
Median
1.31
Q1
0.62
SBAC
0.19
Min
0.06

WELL

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

1.66

Max
4.19
Q3
2.11
WELL
1.66
Median
1.31
Q1
0.62
Min
0.06
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SBA Communications (SBAC) vs. Welltower (WELL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Welltower (WELL) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42 against its industry range, while SBA Communications (SBAC) reports no figure this period.

SBAC

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

--

Max
2.72
Q3
1.59
Median
0.99
Q1
0.72
Min
0.20
SBAC
--

WELL

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

0.42

Max
2.72
Q3
1.59
Median
0.99
Q1
0.72
WELL
0.42
Min
0.20
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SBA Communications (SBAC) vs. Welltower (WELL): SBAC does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; WELL is benchmarked against the Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for SBA Communications (SBAC) and Welltower (WELL)
MetricSBACWELL
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.191.66
Debt / Equity (MRQ)--0.42
Net Debt / EBITDA8.145.12

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both SBA Communications (SBAC) at 2.52% and Welltower (WELL) at 1.30% offer bottom-quartile dividend income relative to share price versus industry peers.

SBAC

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

2.52%

Max
8.62%
Q3
5.95%
Median
4.34%
Q1
3.26%
SBAC
2.52%
Min
0.00%

WELL

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

1.30%

Max
8.62%
Q3
5.95%
Median
4.34%
Q1
3.26%
WELL
1.30%
Min
0.00%
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SBA Communications (SBAC) vs. Welltower (WELL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

An earnings-based payout ratio fits neither SBA Communications (SBAC) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) nor Welltower (WELL) 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

Dividend metrics for SBA Communications (SBAC) and Welltower (WELL)
MetricSBACWELL
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.52%1.30%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)----

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

SBA Communications (SBAC) at 6.94 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Welltower (WELL) at 13.03 sits in the pricier quartile — WELL costs more per dollar of sales.

SBAC

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

6.94

Max
14.47
Q3
8.02
SBAC
6.94
Median
5.98
Q1
3.27
Min
0.43

WELL

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

13.03

Max
14.47
WELL
13.03
Q3
8.02
Median
5.98
Q1
3.27
Min
0.43
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SBA Communications (SBAC) vs. Welltower (WELL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

SBA Communications (SBAC) reports a negative P/B ratio of -4.09, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Welltower (WELL) reports 3.69, ranking against industry peers normally.

SBAC

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

-4.09

Max
4.06
Q3
2.53
Median
1.64
Q1
1.06
Min
0.21
SBAC
-4.09

WELL

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group

3.69

Max
4.06
WELL
3.69
Q3
2.53
Median
1.64
Q1
1.06
Min
0.21
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SBA Communications (SBAC) vs. Welltower (WELL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for SBA Communications (SBAC) and Welltower (WELL)
MetricSBACWELL
P/E Ratio (TTM)----
P/S Ratio (TTM)6.9413.03
P/B Ratio (MRQ)-4.093.69
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----