Upgraded Full-Year Outlook
Company increased full-year guidance for site leasing revenue, cash flow, adjusted EBITDA, AFFO and AFFO per share based on first-quarter outperformance, high straight-line revenue recognition and favorable foreign currency rates.
Strong Tower Cash Flow Margins
Company-wide tower cash flow margins of approximately 80% in Q1, demonstrating efficient operations and direct cost control.
Leasing Billings Growth
U.S. leasing activity added ~ $10 million of quarterly new lease and amendment billings year-over-year; international leasing added ~ $4 million year-over-year. Backlog in the U.S. increased moderately from Dec 31 to Mar 31, indicating steady leasing activity.
Dividend Increase and Payout Discipline
Declared and paid a Q1 cash dividend of $135.2 million ($1.25/share), a ~13% increase versus Q1 2025. The dividend represents an annualized payout of ~41% of the midpoint of full-year AFFO guidance, highlighting a shareholder-friendly yet conservative payout ratio.
Progress on Balance Sheet and Capital Structure
Paid off $750 million of ABS debt with the revolving credit facility in January; ended the quarter with ~ $13 billion of total debt and net leverage of 6.6x net debt to adjusted EBITDA, near historical lows and within the target range of 6–7x.
Millicom Integration and Central America Growth
Integration of Millicom assets progressing well with colocation demand exceeding initial lease-up projections. Built just over 60 towers in Central America in Q1 and bought land in Guatemala at ~7x multiple, positioning for returns expected to be above cost of capital.
Strategic Financing Objectives
Management remains committed to becoming an investment-grade issuer and anticipates an inaugural IG bond issuance in 2026 (market dependent). Outlook assumes refinancing a $1.2 billion November ABS maturity at ~5.25%.
New Commercial Opportunities — Edge Compute and New Builds
Early-stage deployments and trials of mobile edge compute (micro data centers at tower sites) are underway with potential for incremental revenue. Dialogue with carriers on U.S. new-build opportunities is increasingly constructive, suggesting future organic growth avenues.