Zacks Research Has Pessimistic View of OPTU Q3 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research cut its Q3 2026 EPS estimate for Optimum Communications to ($0.19) from ($0.16) and maintains a "Hold" rating, projecting negative EPS through FY2028 (FY2026 -$0.54, FY2027 -$0.49, FY2028 -$0.69).
• Optimum recently reported a quarterly earnings miss—EPS of ($0.15) versus the consensus ($0.01)—with revenue down 2.3% year-over-year, signaling continued near-term weakness.
• Analyst sentiment is deteriorating with multiple downgrades and an average MarketBeat rating of "Reduce" (average target $2.19); the stock trades around $1.37 and the General Counsel sold 250,000 shares, trimming insider ownership.

Optimum Communications, Inc. (NYSE:OPTU - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for Optimum Communications in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, March 17th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of ($0.19) for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of ($0.16). Zacks Research currently has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Optimum Communications' current full-year earnings is ($0.24) per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Optimum Communications' FY2026 earnings at ($0.54) EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at ($0.16) EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at ($0.21) EPS, FY2027 earnings at ($0.49) EPS and FY2028 earnings at ($0.69) EPS.

Optimum Communications (NYSE:OPTU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported ($0.15) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by ($0.14). During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.12) EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Optimum Communications in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Raymond James Financial lowered Optimum Communications from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Citigroup downgraded Optimum Communications from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Sunday, February 15th. Evercore set a $2.00 price objective on Optimum Communications in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Benchmark cut Optimum Communications from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $2.19.

Optimum Communications Stock Performance

NYSE OPTU opened at $1.37 on Thursday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $1.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1.94. Optimum Communications has a twelve month low of $1.30 and a twelve month high of $2.98. The stock has a market cap of $642.18 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.34 and a beta of 1.51.

Insider Activity at Optimum Communications

In other news, General Counsel Michael Olsen sold 250,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.60, for a total value of $400,000.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 1,496,277 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,394,043.20. This represents a 14.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 44.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Optimum Communications

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in Optimum Communications in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Optimum Communications during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Optimum Communications during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Voleon Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Optimum Communications during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Xponance LLC acquired a new position in Optimum Communications in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.85% of the company's stock.

About Optimum Communications

Altice USA, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides broadband communications and video services in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. It offers broadband, video, telephony, and mobile services to approximately five million residential and business customers. The company's video services include delivery of broadcast stations and cable networks; over the top services; video-on-demand, high-definition channels, digital video recorder, and pay-per-view services; and platforms for video programming through mobile applications.

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