American Tower Earnings Preview: Analysts Expect Flat EPS, Rising Revenue Over Previous Quarter - American Tower (NYSE:AMT), Crown Castle (NYSE:CCI)

American Tower AMT releases its next round of earnings this Tuesday, August 2, 2011. Get prepared with Benzinga's ultimate preview for American Tower's second quarter earnings.

Earnings and Revenue:

Analysts are predicting an EPS reading of 23 cents per share and revenues of $584.7 million. Whether the reported numbers beat or miss analysts' estimates, they will also be compared against last year's numbers for the same period, which were a profit of 25 cents per share on revenues of $469.9 million. We'll have to wait for Tuesday to see if American Tower reports a decline in EPS and a boost in revenue from the year-ago quarter, as analysts are predicting.

Here's how the company's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past:

Quarter	Q1	Q4	Q3	Q2
EPS Estimate	$0.23	$0.22	$0.20	$0.20
EPS Actual	$0.23	$0.21	$0.23	$0.25

Stock Performance:

As of July 27, 2011, American Tower's current share price was $51.22. Shares are down 0.8% year to date. For a full 12 months, the return has risen by 4.8%. Given that these returns are generally positive, long-term shareholders are probably satisfied going into this earnings release.

Long-term shareholders are already enjoying 12-month gains prior to the announcement

Average Stock Rating:

The average rating by analysts for American Tower is a Moderate Buy. This rating hasn't budged over the past three months.

Competitors:

Want to check out the performance of American Tower closest competitors? Take a look at some of the company's peers in the telecommunication services sector.

Crown Castle International CCI: Moderate Buy with a $0.13 recent quarter EPS
NeuStar NSR: Hold with a $0.40 recent quarter EPS
Sprint Nextel S: Hold with a -$0.15 recent quarter EPS
SBA Communications (SBAC): Moderate Buy with a -$0.28 recent quarter EPS

The infrastructure company's industry has seen price/earnings growth of 2.4% during the current fiscal year.

Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: American Tower is a wireless and broadcast communications infrastructure company that develops, owns, and operates communications sites throughout the country. Among its holdings are wireless communications towers, broadcast communications towers and distributed antenna system.

Take Action:

Now that you've gotten an advanced peak at American Tower's upcoming earnings numbers, keep an eye out for any surprises in the report and be ready to take action. Also, check back in with us after the announcement for a full recap and a guide to your next steps.

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