Crown Castle Surges on SpaceX Discussions While Autoliv Falls on Q3 Miss

By EC Assets · Published 23 October 2026

Crown Castle shares rose 7.5% in premarket trading on Friday following reports of discussions with SpaceX. At the same time, automotive safety equipment supplier Autoliv declined in early market action after issuing a third-quarter financial report that missed consensus estimates. In other premarket trading, American Tower gained 2.21%, while Western Digital dropped 6.43% and American Express rose 0.48%. The sharp rise in Crown Castle equity occurred alongside growing attention surrounding the mobile network initiatives of SpaceX. Reports that Starlink held discussions with cell-tower operators drew immediate notice from shareholders of major wireless telecommunications carriers, including Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Telecom shares fell again in response to these developments. In addition, discussions regarding potential merger chatter between SpaceX and Tesla gained prominence as corporate earnings moved into the rearview mirror. Autoliv moved lower as cost headwinds impacted profitability in its third quarter. The automotive supplier posted adjusted earnings of $2.19 per diluted share for the quarter ending September 30, down from $2.32 per share recorded in the same period of the prior year. The result missed consensus expectations, where analysts had forecast adjusted earnings of $2.23 per share. The company also experienced a 1.1% decline in organic sales during the third quarter, alongside lower quarterly net sales. Despite the operational contraction and bottom-line pressure, Autoliv maintained its full-year sales growth outlook for 2026. The third-quarter decline followed mixed results across previous reporting periods in 2026. In the first quarter, Autoliv rallied after generating total sales growth of 6.8% and an organic sales gain of 0.8%, which the company described as a better-than-anticipated performance. That early growth benefited from strong regional results in Asia as well as favorable regional and customer light vehicle production mix. In the second quarter of 2026, the stock dropped in premarket trading even though revenue and profit beat projections. That retreat occurred because an exit from Türkiye triggered a costly corporate restructuring that weighed on the company. Broader sentiment around the auto supplier has nevertheless found institutional backing. Bank of America initiated coverage on Autoliv with a Buy rating, dismissing prevailing sector concerns. The firm identified the stock as a rare opportunity to purchase a high-quality compounder at an undemanding valuation. Market participants will watch whether Autoliv achieves its maintained 2026 sales growth outlook in the face of persistent cost headwinds. In wireless infrastructure, investors will track further developments involving Starlink and cell-tower owners, as well as the competitive response from Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. This article is intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice.