Nomura Securities Upgrades American Tower Corp. to “Buy” (AMT)

Before the bell on Monday, analysts at Nomura Securities upgraded telecommunication tower site operator American Tower Corp (AMT) due to an industry wide upgrade of telecom tower operators, including the non-dividend paying companies SAB Comm (SBAC) and Crown Castle (CCI).

The analysts upgraded AMT from “Neutral” to “Buy” and now see shares reaching $90, up from the previous price target of $85. This new price target suggests a 22% upside to the stock’s Friday closing price of $73.71.

“Tower industry revenue grew over 20% in 1H13, helped by strong carrier network spending and tower acquisitions,” Nomura analyst Adam Ilkowitz noted. “On an organic basis, we believe site rental revenue growth of ~11% for the tower operators is a sign of the health of the U.S. wireless industry and elevated capital spending. After 30% portfolio growth in 2012 across the three tower operators, profitability is recovering from diluted levels. Despite a still-tepid global economy, carriers are investing in their networks to respond to consumer demands and traffic growth. With our positive outlook and upwardly revised estimates, we are increasing our target prices for AMT and SBAC both from $85 to $90 and raising AMT to a Buy. We are raising our 2014 AFFO estimates for all three operators given strong activity levels and announced acquisitions.”

Hot Biotech Stocks For 2014

Furthermore, the analysts at Nomura lowered AMT’s fiscal 2013 adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) estimates from $3.69 to $3.65, but raised its fiscal 2014 AFFO estimates from $4.25 to $4.50.

American Tower Corp shares were inactive during pre-market trading on Monday. The stock is up 22.83% year-to-date.