Benchmark Lowers Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CHTR) Price Target to $435.00

Key Points

• Benchmark lowered its price target on Charter from $455 to $435 while maintaining a "buy" rating, with the new target implying about a 76.41% potential upside from the prior close.
• Analyst views are mixed — MarketBeat's consensus is a "Hold" with an average target of $334, and individual targets range widely (Goldman Sachs $185 sell to TD Cowen $437 buy).
• Charter reported quarterly EPS of $10.34 (missed by $0.06) and revenue down 2.3% year-over-year; the stock trades near $246.59 with a P/E of ~6.8, market cap of ~$31.2B, and a high debt-to-equity ratio of 4.65.

Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CHTR - Get Free Report) had its target price decreased by analysts at Benchmark from $455.00 to $435.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the stock. Benchmark's price target suggests a potential upside of 76.41% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on CHTR. KeyCorp reiterated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Charter Communications in a report on Monday, January 26th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Charter Communications from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 16th. New Street Research dropped their price objective on shares of Charter Communications from $479.00 to $328.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Charter Communications from $428.00 to $437.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Charter Communications from $210.00 to $185.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $334.00.

Charter Communications Trading Up 1.7%

NASDAQ CHTR traded up $4.10 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $246.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 586,833 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,898,008. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $225.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $219.99. The stock has a market cap of $31.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.81, a P/E/G ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.03. Charter Communications has a 52 week low of $180.38 and a 52 week high of $437.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.65, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.39.

Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CHTR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $10.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $10.40 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $13.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.73 billion. Charter Communications had a net margin of 9.10% and a return on equity of 24.63%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $10.10 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Charter Communications will post 43.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Charter Communications by 141.0% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 94 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Webster Bank N. A. bought a new position in Charter Communications during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new position in Charter Communications during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Quarry LP grew its position in shares of Charter Communications by 153.2% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 119 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Charter Communications during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Institutional investors own 81.76% of the company's stock.

About Charter Communications

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.

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