Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Charter Communications currently has a consensus analyst rating of "Hold" from 22 brokerages, with six sell ratings, ten hold ratings, and six buy ratings. The average 12-month price target is about $315.67.
• Recent analyst moves were mixed: Citigroup cut its target to $230 while keeping a buy rating, while Wells Fargo raised its target to $200 but maintained an underweight rating. Other firms, including Sanford C. Bernstein and Benchmark, also adjusted targets and ratings.
• Insiders have been buying shares, including director Wade Davis and CEO Christopher L. Winfrey, while institutional ownership remains high at 81.76%. The stock recently traded near its 52-week low after Charter reported quarterly EPS that missed estimates, even though revenue came in slightly above expectations.

Shares of Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the twenty-two brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have given a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $315.6667.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on CHTR shares. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Charter Communications from $290.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Charter Communications from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on shares of Charter Communications from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Benchmark lowered their target price on shares of Charter Communications from $455.00 to $435.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, KeyCorp restated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Charter Communications in a research note on Monday, January 26th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Charter Communications

In other news, Director Wade Davis bought 5,728 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $173.72 per share, for a total transaction of $995,068.16. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Christopher L. Winfrey bought 3,468 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $172.23 per share, with a total value of $597,293.64. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 74,409 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,815,462.07. This represents a 4.89% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders bought a total of 10,196 shares of company stock worth $1,767,822 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Charter Communications

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Charter Communications during the first quarter worth $25,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Charter Communications by 153.2% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 119 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Charter Communications during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Charter Communications during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Finally, Webster Bank N. A. acquired a new stake in shares of Charter Communications during the third quarter worth $28,000. 81.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Charter Communications Price Performance

NASDAQ CHTR opened at $154.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.56, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.40. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $214.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $213.88. Charter Communications has a 52-week low of $154.70 and a 52-week high of $437.06. The company has a market cap of $19.05 billion, a PE ratio of 4.18, a P/E/G ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 0.76.

Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CHTR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $13.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.56 billion. Charter Communications had a net margin of 9.03% and a return on equity of 24.20%. Charter Communications's revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $8.42 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Charter Communications will post 43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Charter Communications Company Profile

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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