Stock Comparison
AMT vs DLR
American Tower Corp vs Digital Realty Trust Inc
Who's the better investment? Let's break it down.
The Verdict
AMT takes this one.
This one's close — only 0.9 points separating them. AMT wins by a hair, but both deserve a closer look.
Want to compare any two stocks?
Sign up free — get 3 DVR analyses/day, 1800+ stocks, portfolio roast. No credit card.
Valuation
AMT
Metric
DLR
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
Lower may indicate better value
Forward P/E
Price/Book
EV/EBITDA
Profitability & Growth
AMT
Metric
DLR
Profit Margin
Gross Margin
Operating Margin
Return on Equity
Return on Assets
Revenue Growth
EPS
Financial Health
AMT
Metric
DLR
Debt-to-Equity
Lower = less leverage
Current Ratio
Above 1.0 is healthy
Beta
Lower = less volatile
Dividend Yield
Risk Comparison
AMT
What Could Go Wrong
Further deterioration of relationships with major wireless carriers beyond the DISH default, leading to additional revenue losses, or an inability to manage its high debt load effectively if interest ...
Red Flags
- 🚩Current ratio of 0.60 indicates potential short-term liquidity challenges.
- 🚩Debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, while typical for a REIT, represents significant leverage.
- 🚩FY 2026 AFFO per share guidance projects a -1.5% decline, indicating negative growth trajectory.
DLR
What Could Go Wrong
The company faces significant exposure from approximately $1.4 billion of larger 1 MW-plus below-market leases expiring between 2026 and 2030. If competitive pressures or a slowdown in hyperscale dema...
Red Flags
- 🚩Below-market lease rollover: $1.4B of 1 MW+ leases expiring 2026-2030 could pressure pricing on rene...
- 🚩CEO Transition: While Andy Power was COO, any unexpected strategic shifts or integration issues foll...
- 🚩High institutional ownership (99.71%) suggests limited float and potential for volatility if a large...
Competitive Moat
AMT
Rating
🛡️ Wide
Trend
➡️ Stable
DLR
Rating
🛡️ Narrow
Trend
➡️ Stable
Investment Thesis
American Tower offers a stable, dividend-growing investment exposed to the indispensable long-term trends of global mobile data consumption and 5G deployment. Its robust infrastructure moat, global diversification, and strategic expansion into data centers (CoreSite) provide a defensive yet consistent growth profile, making it a reliable income play rather than a multi-bagger growth opportunity.
Full AMT AnalysisIf Digital Realty successfully navigates the $1.4B below-market lease rollovers between 2026-2030 by renewing a significant portion at increased market rates, *and* continues to secure large-scale hyperscale and AI/ML deployments that leverage its global footprint, then its Core FFO per share could grow at a sustained mid-to-high single-digit percentage, justifying a premium REIT multiple and lead...
Full DLR AnalysisPrice Targets & Strategy
Price Targets & Entry/Exit Strategy
Sign up free to unlock the full comparison
Growth Catalysts
Growth Catalysts Comparison
Sign up free to unlock the full comparison
Market Sentiment
Market Sentiment Analysis
Sign up free to unlock the full comparison
The Deep Dive
American Tower (AMT) remains a global leader in telecommunications infrastructure and data centers, boasting an enviable economic moat and competent management. Its CoreSite data center segment is a positive growth driver, guiding 13% revenue growth for 2026. However, as an $82.49B market cap REIT in mature industries, achieving 10x growth in 3-5 years is fundamentally unrealistic. The material headwind from the DISH Wireless default ($200M revenue loss) significantly suppresses FY26 AFFO per sh...
Full AMT AnalysisDigital Realty Trust (DLR) continues to demonstrate strong operational performance for a data center REIT, with Q1 2026 revenue up 16.2% YoY and raised 2026 guidance. It benefits from significant secular tailwinds in AI and cloud computing, maintaining a critical role in global digital infrastructure. The company's financial health remains robust, and profitability trends are improving. However, as a mature, large-cap REIT with a $64.99B market cap, its business model is geared towards stable in...
Full DLR AnalysisWant More Comparisons?
Run any stock through our deep value analyzer.
Not Financial Advice
This comparison is for educational purposes only. We are not financial advisors. Always do your own research and consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions.