Cover and table of contents

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Cover and table of contents

Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One):

☒Annual report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021

☐Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

For the transition period from to

Commission File Number: 001-14195

American Tower Corporation

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware65-0723837
(State or other jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

116 Huntington Avenue

Boston, Massachusetts 02116

(Address of principal executive offices)

Telephone Number (617) 375-7500

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each ClassTrading Symbol(s)Name of exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.01 par valueAMTNew York Stock Exchange
1.375% Senior Notes due 2025AMT 25ANew York Stock Exchange
1.950% Senior Notes due 2026AMT 26BNew York Stock Exchange
0.450% Senior Notes due 2027AMT 27CNew York Stock Exchange
0.400% Senior Notes due 2027AMT 27DNew York Stock Exchange
0.500% Senior Notes due 2028AMT 28ANew York Stock Exchange
0.875% Senior Notes due 2029AMT 29BNew York Stock Exchange
0.950% Senior Notes due 2030AMT 30CNew York Stock Exchange
1.000% Senior Notes due 2032AMT 32New York Stock Exchange
1.250% Senior Notes due 2033AMT 33New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act: Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act: Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days: Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check One):

Large accelerated filer☒Accelerated filer☐
Non-accelerated filer☐Smaller reporting company☐
Emerging growth company☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (§15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act): Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2021 was $122.5 billion, based on the closing price of the registrant’s common stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second quarter.

As of February 17, 2022, there were 455,884,806 shares of common stock outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the definitive proxy statement (the “Definitive Proxy Statement”) to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission relative to the registrant’s 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Report.

Table of Contents

AMERICAN TOWER CORPORATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT

FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2021

Page
Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statementsiii
PART I
ITEM 1.Business1
Overview1
Products and Services2
Strategy4
Regulatory Matters6
Competition8
Human Capital Resources8
Executive Officers9
Available Information9
ITEM 1A.Risk Factors10
ITEM 1B.Unresolved Staff Comments20
ITEM 2.Properties20
ITEM 3.Legal Proceedings21
ITEM 4.Mine Safety Disclosures21
PART II
ITEM 5.Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities22
Dividends22
Performance Graph22
ITEM 6.[Reserved]23
ITEM 7.Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations23
Executive Overview23
Non-GAAP Financial Measures28
Results of Operations: Years Ended December 31, 2021 and 202030
Liquidity and Capital Resources37
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates49
Accounting Standards Updates51
ITEM 7A.Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk52
ITEM 8.Financial Statements and Supplementary Data53
ITEM 9.Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure53

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AMERICAN TOWER CORPORATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS—(Continued)

FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT

FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2021

Page
ITEM 9A.Controls and Procedures53
Disclosure Controls and Procedures53
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting54
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting54
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm55
ITEM 9C.Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions That Prevent Inspections55
PART III
ITEM 10.Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance56
ITEM 11.Executive Compensation57
ITEM 12.Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters57
ITEM 13.Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence57
ITEM 14.Principal Accounting Fees and Services58
PART IV
ITEM 15.Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules59
Index to Exhibits59
ITEM 16.Form 10-K Summary68
Signatures69
Index to Consolidated Financial StatementsF-1

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report”) contains statements about future events and expectations, or forward-looking statements, all of which are inherently uncertain. We have based those forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future results. When we use words such as “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects” or similar expressions, we are making forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, future prospects of growth in the communications infrastructure leasing industry, the effects of consolidation among companies in our industry and among our customers and other competitive and financial pressures, our ability to maintain or increase our market share, our plans to fund our future liquidity needs, our substantial leverage and debt service obligations, our future financing transactions, our future operating results, the level of future expenditures by companies in this industry and other trends in this industry, changes in zoning, tax and other laws and regulations and administrative and judicial decisions, economic, political and other events, particularly those relating to our international operations, our future capital expenditure levels, our expectations regarding the impacts of the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic and actions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and our operating results, the expected impact of the CoreSite Acquisition (as defined in this Annual Report) on our business, including our ability to successfully integrate the CoreSite assets or utilize such assets to their full capacity, the impact of technology changes on our industry and our business, our ability to remain qualified for taxation as a real estate investment trust (REIT), the amount and timing of any future distributions including those we are required to make as a REIT, natural disasters and similar events, technology failures, including cybersecurity and data privacy incidents, and our ability to protect our rights to the land under our towers and buildings in which our data centers are located. These statements are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions, which in turn are based on currently available information. These assumptions could prove inaccurate. These forward-looking statements may be found under the captions “Business” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” as well as in this Annual Report generally.

You should keep in mind that any forward-looking statement we make in this Annual Report or elsewhere speaks only as of the date on which we make it. New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible for us to predict these events or how they may affect us. In any event, these and other important factors, including those set forth in Item 1A of this Annual Report under the caption “Risk Factors,” may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by our forward-looking statements. We have no duty, and do not intend, to update or revise the forward-looking statements we make in this Annual Report, except as may be required by law. In light of these risks and uncertainties, you should keep in mind that the future events or circumstances described in any forward-looking statement we make in this Annual Report or elsewhere might not occur. References in this Annual Report to “we,” “our” and the “Company” refer to American Tower Corporation and its predecessor, as applicable, individually and collectively with its subsidiaries as the context requires.

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PART I

Next: Item 1. BUSINESS