# Crown Castle Raises 2026 EBITDA Forecast, Repeats 2030 Margin Goal By John Kim Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/business/37905 Published: 2026-10-22T13:35:30.000Z Updated: 2026-10-22T13:35:30.000Z Section: Business > The company also increased its site rental revenue and adjusted funds from operations outlooks after third-quarter AFFO rose 8% year over year. Crown Castle lifted the midpoint of its 2026 adjusted EBITDA forecast by $25 million and reiterated a 2030 margin goal, alongside higher revenue and cash flow projections for its U.S. tower business. The new adjusted EBITDA range is $2.690 billion to $2.740 billion, with a $2.715 billion midpoint, up from $2.690 billion in the July outlook. The site rental revenue midpoint rose $20 million to $3.875 billion, and adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) increased $5 million to $1.980 billion. The AFFO-per-share outlook also rose by 1 cent, to $4.60. Crown Castle expects the site rental revenue midpoint to remain 4% below 2025's $4.049 billion. It also raised the midpoint of its discretionary capital expenditure outlook by $40 million to $240 million, reflecting anticipated ground lease buyouts. The company tied its forecast changes to increased ground lease buyouts, operational efficiencies and a customer agreement that lengthened some tower contracts. Its margin objective is to reach more than 200 basis points of expansion above 2026 levels by 2030. Crown Castle repeated that goal on its Oct. 21 earnings call, which began at 4:45 p.m. ET (20:45 UTC); its earnings release was posted at 4:15 p.m. ET (20:15 UTC). For the quarter ended Sept. 30, adjusted EBITDA was $673 million, down 6% from $718 million a year earlier. Site rental revenue fell 5% to $966 million from $1.012 billion, while AFFO increased 8% to $530 million from $490 million. The [third-quarter results and outlook update]() detailed the revised projections alongside the quarterly figures. Third-quarter net revenue declined to $995 million from $1.072 billion in the comparable 2025 period. Quarterly net income fell from $323 million to $283 million; diluted earnings per share decreased from 74 cents to 67 cents. For 2026, core leasing activity is expected toward the lower end of a $60 million to $70 million range. Crown Castle's small-cell and fiber sale closed May 1, leaving its continuing tower business with roughly 40,000 towers and related structures across the United States. ## Links in this article - [third-quarter results and outlook update](https://www.tokenpost.com/news/business/37749)