Short Interest in Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR) Increases By 13.5%

Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 11,410,000 shares, an increase of 13.5% from the March 15th total of 10,050,000 shares. Currently, 11.6% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,680,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.8 days.

Institutional Trading of Charter Communications

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sendero Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Charter Communications by 15.2% in the first quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,515 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,800,000 after acquiring an additional 2,177 shares during the period. Aspiriant LLC lifted its stake in shares of Charter Communications by 9.7% in the 1st quarter. Aspiriant LLC now owns 1,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $489,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in Charter Communications during the first quarter worth $40,000. Caledonia Investments PLC grew its position in Charter Communications by 9.7% during the first quarter. Caledonia Investments PLC now owns 141,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,043,000 after buying an additional 12,500 shares during the period. Finally, Gulf International Bank UK Ltd increased its holdings in Charter Communications by 0.5% in the first quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 8,067 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,344,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. 81.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CHTR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Benchmark cut their price target on Charter Communications from $490.00 to $440.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 5th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Charter Communications from $360.00 to $325.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Charter Communications from $340.00 to $290.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Charter Communications from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $370.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Charter Communications from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $380.80.

Charter Communications Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CHTR traded up $0.67 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $257.57. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,095,741 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,621,798. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.51, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.31. Charter Communications has a fifty-two week low of $254.31 and a fifty-two week high of $458.30. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $285.75 and its 200-day moving average is $356.67. The firm has a market cap of $37.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 0.96.

Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CHTR) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 2nd. The company reported $7.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.76 by ($1.69). The business had revenue of $13.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.70 billion. Charter Communications had a return on equity of 32.32% and a net margin of 8.35%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $7.69 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Charter Communications will post 32.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Charter Communications

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.