Key Points
- Charter director Wade Davis bought 5,728 shares on April 28 at about $173.72 each (~$995k), increasing his stake 478.5% to 6,925 shares valued near $1.2M, an insider purchase that can signal management confidence.
- Charter posted a Q1 earnings miss (EPS $9.17 vs. $10.01 expected) with revenue down ~1% YoY, and carries high leverage (debt/equity ~4.56) while the stock trades well below its 50‑ and 200‑day averages.
- Analyst sentiment is mixed with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a $315.67 average price target, but several firms have recently trimmed targets and institutional ownership remains high (~81.8%).
Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR - Get Free Report) Director Wade Davis bought 5,728 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $173.72 per share, with a total value of $995,068.16. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 6,925 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,203,011. The trade was a 478.53% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.
Charter Communications Stock Performance
Shares of CHTR stock opened at $158.65 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $20.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.28, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 1.03. Charter Communications, Inc. has a 52 week low of $158.42 and a 52 week high of $437.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.56. The business has a 50 day moving average of $220.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $216.98.
Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CHTR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $9.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $10.01 by ($0.84). Charter Communications had a net margin of 9.03% and a return on equity of 24.20%. The firm had revenue of $13.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $8.42 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Charter Communications, Inc. will post 43.39 EPS for the current year.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research firms have commented on CHTR. UBS Group set a $425.00 price objective on shares of Charter Communications in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Benchmark cut their price objective on shares of Charter Communications from $455.00 to $435.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Williams Trading set a $437.00 price objective on shares of Charter Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Charter Communications in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, KeyCorp reissued a "sector weight" rating on shares of Charter Communications in a report on Monday, January 26th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $315.67.
View Our Latest Research Report on Charter Communications
Trending Headlines about Charter Communications
Here are the key news stories impacting Charter Communications this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Insiders buying: CEO Christopher Winfrey purchased 3,468 shares (~$172.23 avg), and directors (including Wade Davis and Balan Nair) added stakes in late April — insider purchases can signal management’s confidence. Read More.
- Positive Sentiment: Contrarian bullish notes: a Seeking Alpha piece frames CHTR as a “cigar butt” opportunity — arguing hard‑to‑replicate network assets and eventual free‑cash‑flow recovery despite near‑term pressure. Read More.
- Positive Sentiment: Opinion pieces pushing back against panic selling — coverage arguing investors are over‑discounting bankruptcy risk may support a sentiment rebound. Read More.
- Neutral Sentiment: New coverage: JPMorgan started coverage with a Neutral rating and $215 PT (upside vs current levels), giving some benchmark for traders but not a clear buy signal. Read More.
- Neutral Sentiment: Industry context: Russell 1000 momentum notes could lift sector sentiment if broadband/video demand improves, but this is a macro/peer effect rather than company‑specific. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Earnings miss and soft operating trends: Q1 EPS $9.17 vs. $10.01 expected; revenue $13.6B (down ~1% YoY) with residential video weakness — the miss directly hurt near‑term sentiment and valuation. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Analyst price‑target cuts and rating pressure this week (Deutsche Bank cut to $215 hold; Citi and others trimmed targets) — lowers upside expectations and increases selling pressure. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Balance‑sheet / valuation concerns: high leverage (debt/equity ~4.6), stock trading well below 50/200‑day averages and heavy debt load keep risk premia elevated despite a low reported P/E. Read More.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Charter Communications
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in shares of Charter Communications by 304.9% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 4,815,422 shares of the company's stock worth $1,005,222,000 after purchasing an additional 3,626,135 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox increased its holdings in shares of Charter Communications by 23.7% in the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 14,609,220 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,049,675,000 after purchasing an additional 2,801,671 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Charter Communications in the 4th quarter worth approximately $555,383,000. Voyager Global Management LP lifted its holdings in Charter Communications by 1,380.0% during the 4th quarter. Voyager Global Management LP now owns 1,850,000 shares of the company's stock worth $386,188,000 after buying an additional 1,725,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Charter Communications by 119.6% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 2,969,507 shares of the company's stock worth $619,885,000 after buying an additional 1,617,148 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.76% of the company's stock.
About Charter Communications
(
Get Free Report)
Charter Communications, Inc is a U.S.-based telecommunications and mass media company that provides broadband communications and video services to residential and business customers. Operating primarily under the Spectrum brand, the company offers high-speed internet, cable television, digital voice (phone) and wireless services, as well as managed and enterprise networking solutions for commercial customers. Charter's service portfolio targets both consumer and business markets with bundled and standalone offerings designed to meet streaming, connectivity and communications needs.
The company's consumer-facing products include Spectrum Internet, Spectrum TV and Spectrum Voice, while Spectrum Mobile provides wireless service through arrangements with national wireless carriers.
Further Reading
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