KBC Group NV Purchases 18,347 Shares of Charter Communications, Inc. $CHTR

KBC Group NV boosted its position in Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR) by 125.7% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 32,948 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,347 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Charter Communications were worth $7,113,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dodge & Cox grew its stake in shares of Charter Communications by 23.7% during the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 14,609,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,049,675,000 after acquiring an additional 2,801,671 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Charter Communications by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,248,287 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,139,330,000 after acquiring an additional 885,935 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in Charter Communications by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,961,695 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,190,302,000 after acquiring an additional 1,475,383 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in Charter Communications by 304.9% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 4,815,422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,005,222,000 after purchasing an additional 3,626,135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Charter Communications by 119.6% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 2,969,507 shares of the company’s stock worth $619,885,000 after purchasing an additional 1,617,148 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.76% of the company’s stock.

Charter Communications Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ CHTR opened at $129.22 on Thursday. Charter Communications, Inc. has a one year low of $124.05 and a one year high of $402.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.56, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $136.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $185.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.49, a PEG ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.71.

Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CHTR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The company reported $9.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.01 by ($0.84). Charter Communications had a return on equity of 24.20% and a net margin of 9.03%.The business had revenue of $13.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.56 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $8.42 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Charter Communications, Inc. will post 41.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Wade Davis acquired 5,728 shares of Charter Communications stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $173.72 per share, with a total value of $995,068.16. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 6,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,203,011. This represents a 478.53% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Balan Nair purchased 1,000 shares of Charter Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were bought at an average price of $175.46 per share, for a total transaction of $175,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 12,029 shares in the company, valued at $2,110,608.34. The trade was a 9.07% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have bought 20,125 shares of company stock worth $3,167,116 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on CHTR. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Charter Communications from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $235.00 target price on shares of Charter Communications in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Charter Communications from $220.00 to $160.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Charter Communications from $185.00 to $125.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Charter Communications from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and six have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $249.12.

About Charter Communications

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.