The quarter cleared published expectations, but only modestly. Diluted EPS was $1.87 versus roughly $1.84 consensus, while revenue was $715.3 million versus approximately $705.7 million. The operating result was therefore a beat, although management itself characterized performance as in line with expectations.
| Metric | Q2 2026 | Q2 2025 | Market comparison / change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue | $715.3M | $699.0M | ~$705.7M consensus |
| Diluted EPS | $1.87 | $2.09 | ~$1.84 consensus |
| Adjusted EBITDA | $483.8M | $475.5M | +1.8%; flat excluding FX |
| AFFO per share | $3.05 | $3.17 | -3.8%; -6.0% excluding FX |
| FY2026 revenue outlook | $2.841B–$2.886B | — | Midpoint +$2M vs. April outlook |
| FY2026 AFFO/share outlook | $11.95–$12.40 | — | Midpoint +$0.02 vs. April outlook |
| FY2026 Adjusted EBITDA outlook | $1.920B–$1.940B | — | Midpoint -$1M vs. April outlook |
International growth offset a deteriorating domestic business. International site-leasing revenue rose 30.5%, or 22.4% excluding currency, while domestic site-leasing revenue fell 3.7% and domestic tower cash flow declined 4.7%. Consolidated site-leasing growth was only 3.0% excluding FX, and tower cash-flow margin fell to 79.5% from 81.0% (Segment results; Financial Metrics). The headline beat therefore came with a mixed underlying mix rather than broad-based acceleration.
The outlook change is essentially a small AFFO nudge, not a reset higher. The company raised the midpoint of full-year AFFO per share by just $0.02 and revenue by $2 million, while lowering the Adjusted EBITDA midpoint by $1 million and discretionary capital spending by $25 million. That is best read as maintenance of the existing forecast with minor refinements, not a meaningful change in earnings power (Outlook).
The biggest new development is balance-sheet quality, not quarterly operations. SBA issued $3.5 billion of unsecured investment-grade notes, repaid $3.2 billion of secured borrowings, replaced its secured revolver with a $2.5 billion unsecured facility, and received an S&P upgrade to BBB. Leverage remained 6.4x, within the stated 6.0x–7.0x target range, but the refinancing reduces secured-debt reliance and improves future financing flexibility (Financing Activities and Liquidity; Net Debt and Leverage calculations).
Net read: a narrow beat with a credit-quality upgrade, tempered by weak domestic trends and falling AFFO per share. The earnings surprise is real versus consensus, but the small guidance increase and refinancing benefit are partly offset by domestic churn, lower margins, and a 6.0% FX-adjusted AFFO-per-share decline. The next hard test is refinancing the $1.165 billion of 2021-1C Tower Securities before their anticipated November 9, 2026 repayment date (Outlook).
Read the original 8-K on SEC EDGAR ↗