Should I Buy CHTR? CHTR 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Charter Communications Inc (CHTR) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Hold

Latest Price

191.520

1 Day change

4.76%

52 Week Range

437.060

Analysis Updated At

2026/01/28

CHTR is not a good buy right now for a beginner long-term investor who is unwilling to wait for a cleaner entry. The trend is still bearish (moving averages stacked bearishly and MACD negative), fundamentals are weakening (Q3 2025 showed revenue/EPS/net income declines and margin pressure), and Street sentiment has deteriorated with multiple sharp price-target cuts and a fresh downgrade ahead of earnings (Jan 30 pre-market). If you already own it, holding through earnings is reasonable only if you can tolerate further downside; for a new long-term purchase today, I would pass.

Technical Analysis

Price/Trend: Bearish trend structure with SMA_200 > SMA_20 > SMA_5, indicating persistent downward momentum. Momentum: MACD histogram at -1.15 (below zero) but negatively contracting, suggesting downside momentum may be easing, not reversing. RSI_6 at ~39.9 is near the lower end of neutral, consistent with a weak/bearish tape but not clearly oversold. Levels: Current price 185.55 is just above S1 support (184.18); a break below increases risk toward S2 (178.97). Overhead resistance is near the pivot (192.62) and R1 (201.05), which would likely cap rallies unless earnings/change in fundamentals shifts sentiment. Pattern-based odds: Similar-pattern analysis implies a bearish bias (about -2.61% next week and -6.69% next month expectation). Overall: technically weak, with only a minor ‘selling pressure easing’ signal, not a confirmed turn.

Options Data

Bullish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bearish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Sentiment read: Open-interest put/call at 0.71 suggests positioning is more call-heavy (somewhat constructive longer-horizon positioning). However, the volume put/call at 1.49 shows more puts traded than calls today, implying near-term caution/hedging or bearish speculation. Volatility: 30D IV ~49.7 vs historical vol ~33.6, with IV percentile ~83.6 (elevated), meaning the options market is pricing a large move (consistent with earnings risk and competitive uncertainty). Practical takeaway: options flow is mixed—structural positioning slightly bullish, but near-term traders are leaning defensive into catalysts.

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

Brand/marketing push: Spectrum’s Super Bowl campaign highlights network/fiber messaging, which can support subscriber perception and reduce churn over time.
Some continued bullish coverage exists (e.g., Citi/BofA/Benchmark maintained Buy ratings earlier, implying a case for upside if competitive pressures stabilize).
Price near support (184 area) could attract tactical buyers if it holds and earnings de-risks the narrative.

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Competition narrative intensifying: Multiple analysts (Bernstein/UBS/RBC) explicitly cite worsening broadband competitive dynamics, pressuring subs/ARPU and limiting near-term upside.
Fresh downgrade: Wells Fargo moved to Underweight with a lower price target (negative near-term sentiment).
Earnings catalyst risk: QDEC 2025 earnings on 2026-01-30 pre-market; with elevated implied volatility, the market is expecting a sizable move and downside disappointment is plausible given recent negative revisions.
Technical downtrend remains intact; a break below ~184 risks a move toward ~179.

Financial Performance

Latest quarter (2025/Q3): Results weakened year-over-year. Revenue fell to $13.672B (-0.89% YoY), Net Income fell to $1.137B (-11.17% YoY), EPS fell to 8.34 (-5.44% YoY), and Gross Margin dropped to 23.77 (down sharply, -23.89% YoY). This combination points to slowing top-line trends plus profitability pressure—an unfavorable setup for a long-term beginner buying aggressively today.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

Recent trend: Ratings/targets have been trending down with multiple cuts and at least one downgrade. Key changes: Bernstein cut PT to $240 (Market Perform) citing a ‘new era’ of competition; UBS cut PT to $233 (Neutral) expecting revenue/EBITDA declines; RBC cut PT to $265 (Sector Perform) on tougher competition; Oppenheimer downgraded to Perform and removed a prior $500 PT after Q3 showed declining revenue and first-time EBITDA decline tied to higher OpEx; Wells Fargo downgraded to Underweight. Offsetting views: Some firms maintained Buy ratings with reduced targets (e.g., Citi/BofA/Benchmark), arguing valuation/sentiment may be overly pessimistic if stability returns. Wall Street pros: Potential for free-cash-flow acceleration and strategic execution (bundles/mobile) to defend share. Wall Street cons: Structural broadband pressure from fiber/FWA, margin/OpEx headwinds, and high leverage/integration headwinds (per commentary). Overall: the direction of revisions is negative, which is not ideal timing for an impatient new long-term entry.

13 Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast CHTR stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for CHTR is 286.91 USD with a low forecast of 165 USD and a high forecast of 428 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

5 Buy

6 Hold

2 Sell

Hold

Current: 182.810

Low

165

Averages

286.91

High

428

Current: 182.810

Low

165

Averages

286.91

High

428

Bernstein

Laurent Yoon

Market Perform

downgrade

$280 -> $240

AI Analysis

2026-01-16

Reason

Bernstein

Laurent Yoon

Price Target

$280 -> $240

AI Analysis

2026-01-16

downgrade

Market Perform

Reason

Bernstein analyst Laurent Yoon lowered the firm's price target on Charter to $240 from $280 and keeps a Market Perform rating on the shares. The firm believes we are entering a new era of competition in the industry. Each quarterly update in 2025 reflected worsening competitive dynamics, erasing much of the Telco gains achieved in the first half of the year, while Cable companies continued to decline through the second half, Bernstein argues. This heightened competitive intensity is set to persist in 2026, with little sign of relief given recent strategic actions, it adds.

UBS

John Hodulik

Neutral

downgrade

$355 -> $233

2025-12-22

Reason

UBS

John Hodulik

Price Target

$355 -> $233

2025-12-22

downgrade

Neutral

Reason

UBS analyst John Hodulik lowered the firm's price target on Charter to $233 from $355 and keeps a Neutral rating on the shares. Competitive broadband pressures, elevated costs, and difficult political advertising comparisons in Q4 are expected to result in year-over-year revenue and EBITDA declines, with revenue down 1.7% and EBITDA down 2.7%, leading to relatively flat full year results, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Revenues are projected to remain flat with modest EBITDA growth in 2026 as cost reductions and political tailwinds offset low-single-digit residential revenue declines, the firm adds.

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CHTR Should I Buy

CHTR Should I Buy

Should You Buy Charter Communications Inc (CHTR) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

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