SBA Communications Corporation (SBAC)
SBA Communications is a property landlord that owns and manages the tall steel towers used by mobile phone companies to beam signals to your devices.
Is SBA Communications Corporation a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: High profit margins suggest a very efficient business model. Worth weighing: Recent earnings growth has been negative.
Is this normal for this company?
Each figure against the range this same company has produced recently. Neither end of a range is the good end.
Share price divided by the earnings actually reported over the four most recent quarters. The range is the same calculation at each of this company's last few results, so roughly the past year.
Profit as a share of sales, from the company's own quarterly statements. The range covers the 5 quarters we hold, and the figure shown is its most recent one.
How these ranges are built
Every number here is the company's own reported figure, not a comparison with other companies. The ranges come from this company's own results and its share price. Where it reports in a different currency from the one its shares trade in, the price-to-earnings range is left out rather than mixing the two.
What does SBA Communications Corporation do?
Think of SBA Communications as a digital landlord; they build and own thousands of mobile towers and then rent space on them to major mobile network operators. They make their money through long-term lease agreements, which provide a steady stream of income similar to a traditional property business. Demand for space on these towers turns on how much mobile companies are willing to spend on upgrading their networks to 5G.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on quality and income, and weakest on growth.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 2.8% a year
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 2% over the year
- ✓Very profitable - turns about 35% of sales into profit
- Quality screens high
- Growth screens low
- Momentum screens low
Does SBA Communications Corporation pay a dividend?
Yes - SBA Communications Corporation currently pays a dividend of about 2.8% a year, which is £28 a year for every £1,000 invested (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it. An ISA doesn't shelter the US tax on this one →
What do the numbers say about SBA Communications Corporation's dividend?
There's no rating here, and we don't judge whether the dividend will continue - that would be advice. Here are the figures income investors usually look at, and what each one means, so you can weigh it up yourself.
Figures are from the latest available data and can be distorted by one-off results. Past payments don't predict future ones, and a dividend can be cut at any time. This lays out the numbers to help you understand them - it is not a view on what will happen.
Most recent ex-dividend date: 22 May 2026. To receive a dividend you must already own the shares before the ex-dividend date; become a holder on or after it and the previous owner keeps that payment. Why the price usually falls that morning →
What do SBA Communications Corporation's numbers mean?
How has it performed?
Growth of £1,000, the worst fall, and year by year
Over about 2 years to 2026-09-11. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
How much has SBA Communications Corporation actually fallen?
Over the last 2 years of daily prices, SBA Communications Corporation fell as much as −34% from a high to a later low. Falls like this are normal when you own a share.
Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.
How has it done year by year?
Calendar-year total return - the share price with dividends reinvested - from adjusted closing prices. The current year is only part-complete. Past returns are not a guide to the future.
A closer look at the numbers
Ownership, earnings history, where the money goes, and the outlook range
Does the share price tell you if it's cheap or expensive?
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
How much money does SBA Communications Corporation make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Where does each £100 of SBA Communications Corporation's sales go?
A rough split of the latest full-year figures: of every £100 of sales, about £26 covers making the product or service, £39 goes on running costs, tax and interest, and about £35 is left as profit. Margins vary a lot by industry, and one-off items can distort a single year.
When does SBA Communications Corporation report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
SBA Communications Corporation is next scheduled to report on about 2026-11-02 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
‘Beat’ and ‘missed’ are against what analysts expected, not whether the business is doing well.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-03 | $1.89 | $1.87 | Missed -1% |
| 2026-04-29 | $1.74 | $1.74 | In line |
| 2026-02-26 | $4.05 | $3.47 | Missed -14% |
| 2025-11-03 | $2.16 | $2.20 | Beat +2% |
| 2025-08-04 | $2.26 | $2.09 | Missed -8% |
| 2025-04-28 | $2.32 | $1.77 | Missed -24% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, SBA Communications Corporation came in ahead of what analysts expected 1 time. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Where these figures come from
Each quarter a company reports its results against a consensus of analyst forecasts. The figures here are reported versus expected earnings per share from published results; the expectation is that analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates and can move.
What are the scenarios for SBA Communications Corporation?
An illustrative range for the year ahead — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros, cons and common questions?
The case each way, and the questions people ask
Widespread adoption of new wireless technologies requiring dense tower networks
New satellite technologies making ground-based towers less essential
What are the pros and cons of SBA Communications Corporation?
A balance check, not a score or verdict.
- High profit margins suggest a very efficient business model
- Long-term contracts provide predictable and stable revenue
- Essential infrastructure role in the modern digital economy
- Recent earnings growth has been negative
- The business relies heavily on a small number of large mobile network customers
- High levels of debt are common in this industry, which can be costly when interest rates rise
- Technological changes like satellite internet could reduce the need for physical towers
- Mobile carriers merging could lead to fewer tenants and lower rental income
- Rising interest rates make the debt used to build towers more expensive to service
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A significant and sustained drop in mobile data usage
- A major shift in how mobile networks are built, moving away from traditional towers
Common questions about SBA Communications Corporation
Does SBA Communications Corporation pay a dividend?
Yes - SBA Communications Corporation currently pays a dividend of about 2.8% a year. Dividends are a share of profit paid to holders; the yield moves with the price and payouts can be cut.
When does SBA Communications Corporation report earnings next?
SBA Communications Corporation is next scheduled to report results on about 2026-11-02. Report dates are estimates and can move; this is a diary note for when to look, not a forecast of the outcome.
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This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.