Analyst Consensus ?
ConsensusHold53 ratings
Bullish2547.2%
Neutral2343.4%
Bearish59.4%
2 unmapped firm ratings excluded from the percentages.
Charter Communications, Inc. · CHTR · FY2026 Q2 · Calendar Q3 2026
CHTR Q2: EPS Beat Overshadowed by Lowered EBITDA Guide, Mobile Lines Hit 400K
Charter delivered a solid EPS beat and accelerated mobile subscriber growth, but the headline shift this quarter is the lowered EBITDA guidance, driven by Cox integration transition costs running higher than initially expected. The market initially sold off (-2.6% abnormal move) but the stock subsequently drifted +15.2%, suggesting investors are increasingly focused on the longer-term Cox synergy story, the $20B debt exchange to reduce leverage to 3.5x, and the path to sub-$8B capex by 2028. The bullish score eased from 70 to 65 as near-term execution risk on Cox integration weighs against the multi-year free cash flow improvement thesis. At $142, the stock trades at a meaningful discount to the $173.88 consensus target, reflecting the tension between near-term integration headwinds and long-term cash generation potential.
Reported Before market openNASDAQCommunication Services
$19.14B market cap
100quality score
Company context
Snapshot as of publicationCharter Communications, Inc. is a prominent U.S. broadband and cable operator, delivering services to residential and commercial customers nationwide. Its offerings encompass a wide array of subscription video services, including on-demand content, high-definition channels, digital video recording (DVR), and pay-per-view options. Internet services form a crucial part of its portfolio, featuring robust security measures against cyber threats, high-performance in-home WiFi with provided routers, and extensive out-of-home and Spectrum WiFi access. The company also provides voice communication services utilizing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. For its business and carrier clientele, Charter offers comprehensive broadband communication solutions.…
Earnings scorecard
Reported versus consensus
Reported EPS
$10.66
Consensus $10
EPS surprise
+6.8%
Reported versus consensus
Reported revenue
$13.53B
Consensus $13.51B
Revenue surprise
+0.1%
Reported versus consensus
Earnings History
Estimate
Beat
Miss
Match
Analyst 52W Price Targets
$142Previous close
$101Low
$435.98Average
$900High
Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted previous close from FN2's market snapshot as of Jul 31, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.
Firm-level rating actions
FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.
| Firm | Rating | Prior rating | Action | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP Morgan | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Jul 29, 2026 |
| Citigroup | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jul 28, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Underweight | Underweight | Maintain | Jul 27, 2026 |
| UBS | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Jul 27, 2026 |
| TD Cowen | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jul 27, 2026 |
| RBC Capital | Sector Perform | Sector Perform | Maintain | Jul 27, 2026 |
| Barclays | Underweight | Underweight | Maintain | Jul 27, 2026 |
| BNP Paribas | Underperform | Underperform | Maintain | Jul 14, 2026 |
| Goldman Sachs | Sell | Sell | Maintain | Jul 2, 2026 |
| B of A Securities | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jul 1, 2026 |
| Benchmark | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Apr 23, 2026 |
| Deutsche Bank | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Feb 3, 2026 |
| Bernstein | Market Perform | Market Perform | Maintain | Jan 16, 2026 |
| Keybanc | Overweight | Downgrade | Nov 3, 2025 | |
| Raymond James | Market Perform | Underperform | Upgrade | May 19, 2025 |
| Loop Capital | Buy | Hold | Upgrade | May 19, 2025 |
| Morgan Stanley | Equal Weight | Equal Weight | Maintain | Apr 28, 2025 |
| Exane BNP Paribas | Neutral | Underperform | Upgrade | Nov 26, 2024 |
| Wolfe Research | Underperform | Peer Perform | Downgrade | Sep 30, 2024 |
| Rosenblatt | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Jul 29, 2024 |
| Pivotal Research | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jul 29, 2024 |
| Credit Suisse | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | May 1, 2023 |
| CFRA | Underweight | Upgrade | Mar 29, 2023 | |
| Truist Securities | Buy | Hold | Upgrade | Jan 5, 2023 |
| Cowen & Co. | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Oct 31, 2022 |
| Atlantic Equities | Neutral | Overweight | Downgrade | Aug 15, 2022 |
| Argus Research | Hold | Buy | Downgrade | Aug 9, 2022 |
| TD Securities | Buy | Hold | Upgrade | Oct 1, 2021 |
| Nomura Instinet | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | Jul 10, 2020 |
| Nomura | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | Jul 10, 2020 |
| SunTrust Robinson Humphrey | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Apr 3, 2020 |
| Guggenheim Securities | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Sep 19, 2019 |
| Guggenheim | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Sep 19, 2019 |
| Macquarie | Neutral | Outperform | Downgrade | Apr 9, 2019 |
| Buckingham Research | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Oct 29, 2018 |
| Buckingham | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Oct 29, 2018 |
| Oppenheimer | Perform | Perform | Maintain | Jun 2, 2017 |
| MoffettNathanson | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Feb 23, 2017 |
| Moffett Nathanson | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Feb 23, 2017 |
| Telsey Advisory Group | Market Perform | Outperform | Downgrade | Feb 17, 2017 |
| HSBC | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Jan 19, 2017 |
| Jefferies | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Aug 10, 2016 |
| Bank of America | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Aug 2, 2016 |
| Argus | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jul 20, 2016 |
| Wunderlich Securities | Buy | Buy | Maintain | May 2, 2016 |
| Wunderlich | Buy | Buy | Maintain | May 2, 2016 |
| Canaccord Genuity | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Aug 5, 2015 |
| Baird | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Mar 31, 2015 |
| Northland Securities | Outperform | Market Perform | Upgrade | Mar 7, 2014 |
| Northland Capital Markets | Outperform | Market Perform | Upgrade | Mar 7, 2014 |
| Albert Fried & Co. | Market Perform | Market Perform | Maintain | Aug 7, 2013 |
| Albert Fried | Market Perform | Market Perform | Maintain | Aug 7, 2013 |
| ISI Group | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Mar 11, 2013 |
| Evercore Partners | Equal Weight | Equal Weight | Maintain | Feb 28, 2012 |
| Evercore ISI Group | Equal Weight | Equal Weight | Maintain | Feb 28, 2012 |
Named analyst price targets
Upside is calculated against the persisted previous close $142. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.
| Firm | Analyst | 52W target | Price when posted | Upside | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $150 | $127.76 | +5.6% | Jul 27, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $140 | $127.42 | -1.4% | Jul 27, 2026 |
| Deutsche Bank | Bryan Kraft | $150 | $124.66 | +5.6% | Jul 27, 2026 |
| Williams Trading | Gregory Williams | $380 | $123.31 | +167.6% | Jul 27, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $101 | $123.31 | -28.9% | Jul 27, 2026 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $115 | $123.31 | -19.0% | Jul 27, 2026 |
| Bernstein | Laurent Yoon | $150 | $123.31 | +5.6% | Jul 27, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $170 | $135.48 | +19.7% | Jul 13, 2026 |
| Barclays | Kannan Venkateshwar | $130 | $138.02 | -8.5% | Jul 8, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $160 | $135.44 | +12.7% | Jul 7, 2026 |
| Goldman Sachs | Analyst unavailable | $125 | $139.84 | -12.0% | Jul 2, 2026 |
| UBS | John Hodulik | $235 | $131.16 | +65.5% | Jun 25, 2026 |
| Bernstein | Laurent Yoon | $210 | $144.1 | +47.9% | May 26, 2026 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $215 | $179.02 | +51.4% | Apr 27, 2026 |
| RBC Capital | Analyst unavailable | $220 | $179.68 | +54.9% | Apr 27, 2026 |
| Williams Trading | Gregory Williams | $437 | $215.34 | +207.7% | Feb 2, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $437 | $213.67 | +207.7% | Feb 2, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $200 | $206.12 | +40.8% | Feb 1, 2026 |
| Goldman Sachs | Analyst unavailable | $185 | $206.12 | +30.3% | Jan 31, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $425 | $187.57 | +199.3% | Jan 29, 2026 |
| Bernstein | Laurent Yoon | $220 | $186.02 | +54.9% | Jan 28, 2026 |
| BNP Paribas | Sam McHugh | $160 | $184.89 | +12.7% | Jan 27, 2026 |
| Bernstein | Laurent Yoon | $240 | $194.61 | +69.0% | Jan 16, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $180 | $206.67 | +26.8% | Jan 13, 2026 |
| UBS | John Hodulik | $233 | $205 | +64.1% | Dec 22, 2025 |
| Oppenheimer | Analyst unavailable | $500 | $222.2 | +252.1% | Nov 4, 2025 |
| Barclays | Kannan Venkateshwar | $200 | $233.84 | +40.8% | Nov 3, 2025 |
| Bernstein | Laurent Yoon | $280 | $233.84 | +97.2% | Nov 3, 2025 |
| KeyBanc | Brandon Nispel | $430 | $269.61 | +202.8% | Oct 3, 2025 |
| Bernstein | Analyst unavailable | $350 | $263 | +146.5% | Sep 10, 2025 |
| Goldman Sachs | Analyst unavailable | $223 | $264.42 | +57.0% | Sep 2, 2025 |
| Barclays | Kannan Venkateshwar | $275 | $309.75 | +93.7% | Jul 28, 2025 |
| Loop Capital Markets | Alan Gould | $510 | $418.63 | +259.2% | May 19, 2025 |
| RBC Capital | Jonathan Atkin | $395 | $376.87 | +178.2% | Apr 28, 2025 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $430 | $376.87 | +202.8% | Apr 28, 2025 |
| Wells Fargo | Steven Cahall | $400 | $376.87 | +181.7% | Apr 28, 2025 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $415 | $376.87 | +192.3% | Apr 28, 2025 |
| Citigroup | Michael Rollins | $350 | $319.75 | +146.5% | Sep 11, 2024 |
| Evercore ISI | Vijay Jayant | $425 | $377.77 | +199.3% | Jul 29, 2024 |
| Rosenblatt Securities | Barton Crockett | $329 | $377.02 | +131.7% | Jul 29, 2024 |
| Pivotal Research | Jeffrey Wlodarczak | $435 | $367.62 | +206.3% | Jul 26, 2024 |
| Goldman Sachs | James Schneider | $250 | $298.96 | +76.1% | Jul 1, 2024 |
| Loop Capital Markets | Alan Gould | $285 | $261.48 | +100.7% | Apr 29, 2024 |
| Rosenblatt Securities | Barton Crockett | $297 | $260.5 | +109.2% | Apr 15, 2024 |
| Wells Fargo | Steven Cahall | $290 | $271.23 | +104.2% | Apr 5, 2024 |
| UBS | John Hodulik | $325 | $292.56 | +128.9% | Mar 28, 2024 |
| Bernstein | Laurent Yoon | $370 | $296.18 | +160.6% | Mar 18, 2024 |
| Raymond James | Matthew Harrigan | $440 | $307.67 | +209.9% | Feb 5, 2024 |
| RBC Capital | Analyst unavailable | $440 | $384.31 | +209.9% | Jan 31, 2023 |
| Truist Financial | Analyst unavailable | $550 | $359.51 | +287.3% | Jan 5, 2023 |
| Wells Fargo | Steven Cahall | $340 | $323.88 | +139.4% | Dec 22, 2022 |
| KeyBanc | Brandon Nispel | $580 | $338.22 | +308.5% | Dec 14, 2022 |
| Credit Suisse | Analyst unavailable | $541 | $349.07 | +281.0% | Dec 14, 2022 |
| Deutsche Bank | Bryan Kraft | $550 | $462.98 | +287.3% | Aug 8, 2022 |
| Pivotal Research | Jeffrey Wlodarczak | $560 | $452.18 | +294.4% | Aug 4, 2022 |
| TD Securities | Vince Valentini | $670 | $463.55 | +371.8% | Jul 11, 2022 |
| Rosenblatt Securities | Barton Crockett | $607 | $485.53 | +327.5% | Jun 6, 2022 |
| Pivotal Research | Analyst unavailable | $585 | $432.54 | +312.0% | May 3, 2022 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $575 | $426 | +304.9% | May 2, 2022 |
| Credit Suisse | Analyst unavailable | $780 | $430.63 | +449.3% | May 2, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | Benjamin Swinburne | $550 | $428.49 | +287.3% | May 2, 2022 |
| Barclays | Kannan Venkateshwar | $436 | $428.49 | +207.0% | May 2, 2022 |
| J.P. Morgan | Philip Cusick | $550 | $428.49 | +287.3% | Apr 30, 2022 |
| Truist Financial | Gregory P Miller | $450 | $428.49 | +216.9% | Apr 29, 2022 |
| Rosenblatt Securities | Barton Crockett | $732 | $498.23 | +415.5% | Apr 25, 2022 |
| Pivotal Research | Jeffrey Wlodarczak | $750 | $590.47 | +428.2% | Jan 28, 2022 |
| J.P. Morgan | Philip Cusick | $750 | $590.47 | +428.2% | Jan 28, 2022 |
| TD Securities | Vince Valentini | $815 | $590.47 | +473.9% | Jan 28, 2022 |
| Benchmark Co. | Matthew Harrigan | $900 | $561.03 | +533.8% | Jan 27, 2022 |
| Loop Capital Markets | Alan Gould | $615 | $555 | +333.1% | Jan 26, 2022 |
| Bank of America Securities | Jessica Reif Cohen | $740 | $619.08 | +421.1% | Jan 13, 2022 |
| Wolfe Research | John Janedis | $621 | $647.58 | +337.3% | Jan 3, 2022 |
| Citigroup | Michael Rollins | $643 | $617.32 | +352.8% | Dec 15, 2021 |
| UBS | John Hodulik | $645 | $621.89 | +354.2% | Dec 14, 2021 |
| Goldman Sachs | Brett Feldman | $759 | $671.37 | +434.5% | Nov 1, 2021 |
| Argus Research | Joseph Bonner | $900 | $776.65 | +533.8% | Aug 11, 2021 |
| Bernstein | Peter Supino | $788 | $719.8 | +454.9% | Jul 12, 2021 |
| Robert W. Baird | William Power | $775 | $742.37 | +445.8% | Jul 7, 2021 |
| Berenberg Bank | Sunil Rajgopal | $700 | $703.13 | +393.0% | May 24, 2021 |
Track every rating change on CHTR the moment it posts. Free to start.
Start freeMarket reaction
prior-close to event-session close
Stock move
-2.5%
Event window
SPY move
+0.1%
Same window
Abnormal move
-2.6%
Stock minus SPY
Volume
2.8×
Versus trailing sessions
Subsequent drift
+15.2%
Up to 20 sessions
CHTRSPY benchmark
Follow CHTR with an agent that reads every filing, transcript, and price print. Free to start.
Try FN2 freeTranscript intelligence
What changed
EPS beat by 6.8% ($10.66 vs $9.98 est) while revenue was essentially in line at $13.53B. Revenue declined 1.7% YoY and EBITDA declined modestly. Spectrum Mobile added 400k lines in Q2 (up from 370k in Q1). Video churn improved QoQ. Guidance was lowered from maintained, driven by higher-than-expected Cox integration transition costs. Capex outlook shifted from increasing to stable, with a reaffirmed path below $8B by 2028. Charter launched a $20B capped debt exchange targeting 3.5x leverage. FCF yield implied near 50% on projected capex reductions. Bullish score eased from 70 to 65.
Guidance delta
Prior quarter guidance was maintained; this quarter management lowered the EBITDA target for the year, citing Cox integration transition costs that exceeded initial expectations. The capex outlook shifted from increasing to stable, with the long-term reduction plan to below $8B by 2028 reaffirmed. The leverage target was lowered to a flat 3.5x, supported by debt repurchases and the $20B capped exchange offer. Pricing pass-throughs and rate increases are planned for the back half of the year.
Key takeaways
- Mobile subscriber growth accelerated to 400k new lines in Q2, up from 370k in Q1, reinforcing Spectrum Mobile as the primary growth engine.
- EBITDA guidance was lowered due to Cox integration transition costs running higher than expected, marking a shift from the maintained stance in Q1.
- A $20B capped debt exchange offer targets discounted debt retirement and a leverage ratio of 3.5x within three years.
- Capex was flat this quarter, with a credible path to below $8B run-rate by 2028 implying a near 50% free cash flow yield on reductions.
- Video churn improved, and management plans pricing pass-throughs and rate increases in the back half of the year to support ARPU and revenue trends.
- Cox integration is on track, with Spectrum pricing and packaging to be rolled out in the Cox footprint post-closing alongside over 1,000 new sales hires.
Management priorities
- Integrate the Cox acquisition: roll out Spectrum pricing and packaging in Cox footprint, hire 1,000+ residential and business sales staff in Cox territories
- Reduce leverage to 3.5x through debt repurchases and the $20B capped exchange offer
- Reduce run-rate capex below $8B by 2028 to accelerate free cash flow
- Onshore call-center operations to 24/7 U.S. coverage to improve customer service
- Expand AI-driven service efficiencies and leverage edge data center capacity for B2B revenue
- Pursue selective wholesale offload partnerships and additional B2B backhaul opportunities
Related earnings events
Communication ServicesSources
- Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-07-24T18:07:43.372168+00:00
- FN2 earnings calendar · 2026-07-31T01:23:16.182055+00:00
- Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-07-31T05:43:41.063369+00:00
- Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-07-31T05:43:41.060558+00:00
Methodology
Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.
Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.
Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.
By FN2 Research · Updated . For educational purposes only; not investment advice.