SBA Communications (SBAC) Q3 Earnings: Is A Beat In Store?

SBA Communications Corporation (NASDAQ:SBAC) is scheduled to release third-quarter 2018 results on Nov 5, after market close.

Notably, the company delivered better-than-expected results in each of the trailing four quarters, the average positive earnings surprise being 15.23%. Notably, in the last reported quarter, the company’s earnings of $1.83 surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.82.

We expect the company to score an earnings beat in the third quarter as well.

Why a Likely Positive Surprise

Our proven model shows that SBA Communications has the right combination of the two key ingredients to beat earnings. A stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. This is the case here as you will see below:

Earnings ESP: SBA Communications has an Earnings ESP of +1.29%, as the Most Accurate Estimate is pegged at $1.89, higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.87.You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank: The company carries a Zacks Rank #3, which when combined with a positive ESP, makes us reasonably confident of an earnings beat.

Conversely, we caution against stocks with a Zacks Ranks #4 or 5 (Sell rated) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is witnessing negative estimate revisions.

Factors Driving the Better-than-Expected Results

SBA Communications is optimistic about the global growth of wireless and thus anticipates international expansion. Mobile subscriber growth has significantly boosted the wireless tower industry. Next-generation 4G LTE networks and the increased usage of smartphones and tablets are creating impressive demand for tower leasing. With increasing smartphone adoption, greater broadband demand and plans for 4G service worldwide, the company is likely to pursue wireless infrastructure opportunities beyond the domestic borders to continue the strong portfolio growth to which investors are accustomed.

Also, wireless services are advancing rapidly in terms of additional features and capabilities. Much of the infrastructure and upgrades require effective site management of cell towers and equipment. SBA Communications effectively addresses this opportunity as more than 90% of its quarterly revenues come from wireless service providers. Moreover, wireless consumer demand is expected to increase considerably over the next several years, driven by increased innovation and adoption of data-driven mobile devices and applications such as machine-to-machine connections, social networking and streaming of video.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues from Site Leasing segment, which accounts for the lion’s share of total revenues, is currently pegged at $433 million, up from $409 million reported in the year-ago quarter. Revenues from Site Development segment are expected to be $26.5 million compared with $25.4 million reported a year ago. Consequently, total revenues for the quarter are likely to be $460 million, up from $434 million reported in the year-earlier quarter.

Further, as SBA Communications continues to expand its tower portfolio and seeks new growth opportunities, it is extending its business into select international markets with high growth characteristics. As a matter of fact, over the last several years, the company has developed or acquired thousands of towers throughout Central and South America and across Canada. These investments are expected to support its organic growth going forward.

Other Stocks to Consider

Here are some other companies that you may want to consider, as our model shows that these too have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:

Banner Corporation (NASDAQ:BANR) has an Earnings ESP of +2.62% and a Zacks Rank #1.You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) has an Earnings ESP of +0.56% and a Zacks Rank #2.

DDR Corp. (NYSE:SITC) has an Earnings ESP of +2.69% and a Zacks Rank #3.

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