Crown Castle International Corp vs VanEck Gold Miners ETF — how do they compare? Crown Castle International Corp trades at $79.34 (market cap $34.50B), while VanEck Gold Miners ETF trades at $74.17. The key difference: Crown Castle International Corp pays a 5.38% dividend while VanEck Gold Miners ETF pays none, and VanEck Gold Miners ETF is trading nearer its 52-week high, Crown Castle International Corp nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CCI | GDX | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $34.50B | — |
Sector | Real Estate | — |
52-Week High | $113.91 | $115.84 |
52-Week Low | $74.92 | $51.15 |
Enterprise Value | $64.33B | — |
Dividend Yield | 5.38% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Crown Castle (CCI) trades at $79.84, up 0.23% on the day, with a bearish technical signal from moving averages. The company reported mixed Q1 2026 earnings, missing EPS estimates, but maintains strong profitability with a 73.82% gross margin. Recent news highlights its pure-play U.S. tower focus and upcoming Q2 2026 earnings call on July 22, 2026.
CCI presents a turnaround opportunity with analyst consensus targeting $97.33, implying 22% upside, but faces risks from high debt levels and volatile earnings. The stock's negative equity and bearish technicals warrant caution despite attractive dividend yield and cost reduction initiatives.
GDX, the VanEck Gold Miners ETF, trades at $73.37, down 2.86% in the last 24 hours amid a bearish technical signal from moving averages. The fund's valuation metrics are not available, but recent news highlights competition from lower-fee gold ETFs and a recent addition of Aya Gold & Silver to its holdings. Technical indicators show neutral oscillators with key support at $71 and resistance at $74.
The outlook for GDX is cautious due to underperformance versus physical gold and higher volatility. Investment opportunities lie in potential gold price rebounds and record-high free cash flow yields, but risks include fee disadvantages and sector-specific volatility. Analyst sentiment is mixed, with some seeing a buying opportunity amid low valuations.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Crown Castle International owns and leases roughly 40,000 cell towers in the United States. It also owns more than 85,000 route miles of fiber. It leases space on its towers to wireless service providers, which install equipment on the towers to support their wireless networks. The company's fiber is primarily leased by wireless service providers to set up small-cell network infrastructure and by enterprises for their internal connection needs. Crown Castle's towers and fiber are predominantly located in the largest U.S. cities. The company has a very concentrated customer base, with more than 70% of its revenue coming from the big three U.S. mobile carriers. Crown Castle operates as a real estate investment trust.
Read more on CCI →The fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in common stocks and depositary receipts of companies involved in the gold mining industry. The index is a modified market-capitalization weighted index primarily comprised of publicly traded companies involved in the mining for gold and silver. The fund is non-diversified.
Read more on GDX →