Charter Communications announced a new post-transaction leverage target of a flat 3.5 times, which it expects to achieve within three years following the close of the Cox and Liberty Broadband transactions. President and CEO Christopher Winfrey disclosed the target during the second-quarter earnings call, tightening the prior range of 3.5 to 3.75 times. Chief Financial Officer Jessica Fischer guided that standalone Charter EBITDA, excluding transition costs, is expected to decline around 1 percent year-over-year for full-year 2026, a downgrade from the previous expectation of slight growth. The company added over 400,000 Spectrum Mobile lines in the quarter, reaching more than 12.5 million total mobile lines, while broadband customer losses rose to 172,000, driven by softer gross additions. Charter also announced that Nick Jeffery will join as Chief Operating Officer on September 1, and it now expects the Cox acquisition to close in mid- to late August, with run-rate expense synergies of at least 800 million dollars per year, a figure Winfrey believes could grow to 1 billion dollars.
Charter Communications IncCharter guided 2026 EBITDA decline of ~1%, downgraded from slight growth, and set a flat 3.5x leverage target.
Liberty Broadband Srs CLiberty Broadband is mentioned only as part of the transactions; no direct impact on its own operations.
Cox Co., Ltd.