Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Charter Communications has received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from twenty research firms, with an average price objective of approximately $384.89.
• Recent analyst reports have led to significant changes in target prices, with Barclays reducing theirs to $275.00 and Goldman Sachs initiating coverage with a "sell" rating and a target price of $223.00.
• In insider activity, CEO Christopher L. Winfrey purchased 3,670 shares of the company, increasing his ownership stake by 5.51% to approximately $19.18 million in value.

Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Hold" by the twenty research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $384.8889.

CHTR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Charter Communications from $341.00 to $275.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 28th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Charter Communications from $440.00 to $355.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Wolfe Research raised shares of Charter Communications from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Friday, June 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Charter Communications in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. They issued a "sell" rating and a $223.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Arete Research raised shares of Charter Communications to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th.

Charter Communications Trading Up 2.7%

NASDAQ CHTR opened at $270.57 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.57, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $279.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $345.89. The company has a market capitalization of $36.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.02. Charter Communications has a 12 month low of $251.80 and a 12 month high of $437.06.

Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CHTR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 25th. The company reported $9.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.06 by ($0.88). The firm had revenue of $13.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.76 billion. Charter Communications had a net margin of 9.53% and a return on equity of 26.77%. The firm's revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $8.49 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Charter Communications will post 38.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Christopher L. Winfrey acquired 3,670 shares of Charter Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $273.10 per share, for a total transaction of $1,002,277.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 70,243 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,183,363.30. This trade represents a 5.51% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Balan Nair acquired 360 shares of Charter Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was bought at an average price of $274.21 per share, with a total value of $98,715.60. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 9,622 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,638,448.62. This trade represents a 3.89% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.83% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Charter Communications

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. WBI Investments LLC acquired a new position in Charter Communications during the first quarter worth about $733,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in Charter Communications by 69.5% during the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 161 shares of the company's stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Charter Communications by 21.0% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,893 shares of the company's stock worth $1,435,000 after acquiring an additional 676 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank raised its position in Charter Communications by 5.2% during the second quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 23,330 shares of the company's stock worth $9,538,000 after acquiring an additional 1,160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Range Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Charter Communications during the second quarter worth about $466,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.76% of the company's stock.

Charter Communications Company Profile

Charter Communications, Inc operates as a broadband connectivity and cable operator company serving residential and commercial customers in the United States. The company offers subscription-based internet, video, and mobile and voice services; a suite of broadband connectivity services, including fixed internet, WiFi, and mobile; Advanced WiFi services; Spectrum Security Shield; in-home WiFi, which provides customers with high performance wireless routers and managed WiFi services to enhance their fixed wireless internet experience; out-of-home WiFi; and Spectrum WiFi services.

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