Crown Castle
Crown Castle said that third quarter revenue rose 24% to $930 million, while operating profit (EBITDA) increased 21% to $533 million. The company continues to invest in new towers, but is also returning more cash to shareholders. Crown Castle will increase its annual dividend from $1.40 to $3.28 per common share.
In its earnings report the tower giant singled out small cells as an area of opportunity. On the macro front, Crown Castle expects leasing activity from new tenant installations and amendments in 2015 to be consistent with 2014 levels.
Alcatel-Lucent
Weakness in North America weighed on Alcatel-Lucent’s third quarter sales. Revenue slipped 5.9% to $4.0 billion, coming in below analyst expectations. But cost cutting led to higher gross margins and narrower losses despite the lower sales.
In its earnings report, Alcatel-Lucent highlighted the strong North American wireless market during the first half of the year, implying that the the third quarter was weaker. But the company says it looks for a robust U.S. market next year.
CommScope
CommScope said that third quarter sales rose 13% to 1.0 billion. The company’s operating margin was 22% and net income was $96 million.
Like Alcatel-Lucent, CommScope noted in its earnings report that wireless spending in the first half of 2014 was stronger than in the second half. But the company added that “continued global investment in LTE coverage and capacity over licensed spectrum will remain a strategic initiative for wireless operators over the long term.”
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In other news, this has been a big week for mobile payments providers. For more on that see the video below.
