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Baron Fund Shifts Focus to American Tower Amid AI-Driven Energy Boom

Baron Real Estate Fund's Strategic Shift to American Tower: Leveraging AI-Driven Energy Infrastructure Growth

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aron Real Estate Fund is making a significant shift in its portfolio, reallocating capital from overvalued data center REITs to American Tower Corporation. This move is driven by the projected 160% growth in AI's energy demand by 2030 and American Tower's focus on pre-powered sites and edge data center solutions.

    American Tower trades at a discount compared to other REITs, with a multiple of 20x cash flow versus 35x+ for its peers. The company's global footprint of 150,000 towers and partnerships with power providers position it as a leader in AI-era energy infrastructure. A $500 million market potential for fuel cell technology further underscores American Tower's strategic advantage.

    By realigning its portfolio, Baron is exploiting a 1.5x valuation gap between American Tower and other REITs. This move positions American Tower as a defensive play in energy infrastructure, with a business model that's recession-resistant due to AI workloads driving demand for "always-on" infrastructure.

    American Tower's partnerships with power providers and focus on fuel cell technology position it to benefit from the shift toward decentralized, sustainable energy. The company's Construction-Ready initiative is solving the "last-mile" problem of AI infrastructure by pre-zoning and pre-powering sites for edge data centers.

    Baron's reallocation offers a blueprint for investors in 2025. American Tower isn't a speculative play but a defensive stock with AI-driven tailwinds, trading at an absurdly cheap multiple given its role in the energy infrastructure revolution. The company is revising its revenue guidance upward and expanding its Construction-Ready portfolio, making it a compelling investment opportunity.

    Investors who follow Baron's lead could find themselves riding the next big wave in real estate and energy. However, it's essential to lock in that valuation gap before the market catches up, as the news articles available on this platform are generated by artificial intelligence and may not have been reviewed or fact-checked by human editors.

Baron Fund investor meets with American Tower executives in Boston, discussing AI-driven energy investments.