Crown Castle

CCI

Market cap $39.8B

U.S. equity markets dipped in a volatile week, while benchmark interest rates pulled back from one-month highs, as renewed anxiety over stretched AI-driven valuations collided with mounting monetary policy uncertainty. Public commentary from Fed officials revealed an unusually fractured committee, with a divide that was deepened further by a mixed slate of employment data via the long-delayed September payrolls report. Payrolls data showed that the U.S. economy added 119k jobs in September- better than estimates- but prior months were revised lower and the unemployment rate rose to four-year highs.

The REIT sector has seen back-to-back tough months as it saw a modest average negative total return in September (-0.73%) and fell deeper into the red in October (-4.03%). Small cap REITs (-5.05%) had the worst performance in October. Micro caps (-2.81%), mid caps (-3.11%) and large caps (-4.45%) were also in negative territory albeit to a smaller degree. Only 21.66% of REIT securities had a positive total return in October.

U.S. equity markets stumbled this week as unexpectedly hawkish Fed commentary clashed with fragile risk sentiment, muting investor relief over the deal to end the longest-ever government shutdown. December rate cut odds dipped below 50% after Fed officials firmly pushed back on rate-cut expectations, citing uneven inflation progress, pockets of financial-market froth, and the economic-data blackout. The S&P 500 finished flat, but hawkish commentary sparked renewed pressure on smaller-cap and rate-sensitive market segments, with the Mid-Cap 400 and Small-Cap 600 dipping 1%.

Over 200 U.S. REITs and homebuilders have reported third-quarter earnings results over the past five weeks, providing critical information on the state of the commercial and residential real estate industry. Overall, REIT earnings results were marginally better than consensus expectations despite a handful of high-profile flops that overshadowed some impressive individual results across a balanced mix of sectors. Two-thirds of the sector (67 REITs) raised their full-year FFO outlook—above the historical average of 65%. Notable winners included Industrial, Senior Housing, Data Center, Retail, and Billboard REITs.

The U.S. Federal Reserve is in rate-cutting mode, with two 25-bps interest rate reductions already in the books.

U.S. equity markets stumbled this week as stretched tech valuations collided with weakening consumer and labor market data, while the economic drag and uncertainty from the ongoing government shutdown build. Now it's real? The shutdown has now halted fiscal flows into several sizable government benefits programs - a sudden onset of fiscal austerity that could have non-trivial disinflationary impacts. Snapping a three-week winning streak, the S&P 500 dipped 1.7%. REITs led as earnings season wrapped up with a handful of surprisingly solid reports from some unlikely leaders.

Lower interest rates create a favorable environment for REITs, enhancing valuations, reducing borrowing costs, and supporting high-yield distributions for income investors. Cohen & Steers Quality Income Realty Fund (RQI) and peers like RLTY, RNP, RFI, and IGR offer diversified exposure to top REITs with yields up to 15%. Welltower (WELL) and Equinix (EQIX) stand out among REIT holdings, with WELL benefiting from senior housing demand and EQIX positioned for data center growth.

HOUSTON, Nov. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE: CCI) ("Crown Castle") announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.0625 per common share. The quarterly dividend is payable on December 31, 2025 to common stockholders of record at the close of business on December 15, 2025. Future dividends are subject to the approval of Crown Castle's Board of Directors.

U.S. equity markets posted mixed performance this week- while long-term yields jumped- after the Federal Reserve cut short-term rates for a second-straight meeting, but reigned in expectations for future cuts. Fed Chair Powell hawkishly pushed back on market expectations, saying that another cut in December was "far" from certain and highlighting "strongly differing views" within the committee. Market breadth was exceptionally narrow this past week as post-earnings gains from a handful of mega-cap technology stocks offset weekly declines from over 70% of the S&P 500 constituents.

There are certain REITs I keep buying the more they drop. They have exceptional business models but trade at historically low valuations. I present two such REITs that I am steadily accumulating.