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Optimum Communications Inc Class A (OPTU)
NYSE:OPTU

Optimum Communications Inc Class A (OPTU) AI Stock Analysis

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OPTU

Optimum Communications Inc Class A

(NYSE:OPTU)

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Neutral 43 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:43Neutral
Price Target:
$1.50
▼(-1.96% Downside)
Action:ReiteratedDate:02/14/26
The score is driven primarily by weak financial performance (sharp revenue decline, large losses, negative equity and high leverage), with only partial support from positive operating cash flow and improved margins discussed on the earnings call. Technicals remain soft and valuation is hard to justify on earnings due to loss-making results.
Positive Factors
Margin and EBITDA improvement
Sustained margin expansion and material adjusted EBITDA growth indicate durable operating leverage and effective cost discipline. Higher margins convert to stronger cash flow from operations even if revenue is pressured, improving resilience and capacity to service debt over the medium term.
Expanding fiber footprint
Rapid fiber expansion strengthens competitive positioning in broadband, supports higher ARPU and retention, and future-proofs the network. A growing fiber customer base creates a structural avenue for sustainable revenue mix improvement and long-term margin uplift as migrations scale.
Positive cash generation & ARPU gains
Ongoing positive operating cash flow, lower capital intensity and rising broadband ARPU show the company can generate and preserve cash despite earnings volatility. Combined with AI-driven efficiency and lower capex, this supports liquidity and funds strategic priorities like fiber and deleveraging.
Negative Factors
Elevated leverage and negative equity
Persistently negative equity and very large debt create structural balance-sheet risk. High leverage reduces financial flexibility, raises refinancing and covenant risk, increases interest burden, and constrains strategic investments or aggressive fiber rollouts without meaningful deleveraging.
Multi-year revenue decline
A sustained and sharp revenue contraction erodes scale economics, weakens cross-sell opportunities, and limits the upside from margin improvements. If top-line erosion persists, it will pressure long-term profitability and the ability to restore consistent free cash flow.
Broadband subscriber losses & competition
Continued broadband subscriber attrition in a core product undermines recurring revenue and ARPU potential. Intense promotional competition increases customer acquisition costs and churn risk, making it harder to sustain margin and cash-flow improvements from cost cuts alone.

Optimum Communications Inc Class A (OPTU) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Optimum Communications Inc Class A Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionOptimum Communications, Inc. engages in the provision of broadband, pay television, telephony services, proprietary content, and advertising services. Its brands include Optimum, Suddenlink, Optimum Mobile, Altice Business, News 12 Networks, Cheddar News, a4 Advertising, and i24 News. The company was founded by Patrick Drahi in 2001 and is headquartered in Long Island City, NY.
How the Company Makes MoneyAltice USA generates revenue primarily through its subscription-based services, which include broadband internet, cable television, and phone services. The company's residential segment contributes significantly to its earnings by offering bundled services that attract and retain customers. Additionally, Altice USA earns advertising revenue through its media assets and partnerships, which include local and national advertising on its cable networks. The company is also involved in business services, providing connectivity solutions to small and medium enterprises, further diversifying its revenue streams. Significant partnerships with content providers and technology companies enhance its service offerings and customer experience, thereby supporting its overall financial performance.

Optimum Communications Inc Class A Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Feb 12, 2026
(Q4-2025)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Apr 30, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Neutral
The call portrayed a company that executed disciplined cost and capital management to restore profitability and improve margins (notable adjusted EBITDA growth, gross margin expansion, free cash flow, ARPU improvements, and LightPath momentum). However, these operational gains were achieved against persistent top-line pressures: overall revenue declined, broadband and video subscriber bases contracted, competitive intensity remained high, and leverage remains elevated. Management framed many actions as intentional trade-offs to prioritize margin and cash generation while positioning for future growth, particularly via fiber and LightPath. The balance between clear operational progress and significant subscriber/revenue and balance-sheet headwinds yields a mixed but constructive outlook.
Q4-2025 Updates
Positive Updates
Adjusted EBITDA Growth and Margin Expansion
Adjusted EBITDA rose to $902,000,000 in Q4, up 7.7% year over year; adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 380 basis points to 41.3% (highest in 16 quarters) and surpassed the 40% milestone.
Gross Margin Improvement
Gross margin reached ~69.5% in Q4, up 180 basis points year over year, reflecting mix shift toward higher-margin products (broadband and new video tiers) and disciplined programming cost management.
Broadband and Residential ARPU Gains
Broadband ARPU grew 2.8% year over year to $76.71 (highest quarterly broadband ARPU in 14 quarters); residential ARPU increased 0.4% year over year to $134.49, with connectivity and other products offsetting video declines.
Cost Reductions and Operational Efficiency
Operating expenses declined by nearly $60,000,000 year over year in Q4, driven in part by a >6% reduction in headcount, vendor rationalization, and strategic workforce optimization; field dispatch rate improved 19% YoY and seven-day customer-care repeat rate reached record lows.
Free Cash Flow and Capital Intensity Improvement
Free cash flow for the quarter was approximately $200,000,000; Q4 cash capital stepped down 28% YoY to achieve ~13% capital intensity. Full-year cash capital was roughly $1,300,000,000 with total capital intensity <16% (~14% excluding LightPath).
Fiber Footprint and Passings Expansion
Company reported over 3,000,000 fiber passings overall, added 177,000 new passings in 2025, and delivered 134,000 new fiber passings for the full year; fiber customer accounts reached 716,000, up 33% YoY.
LightPath Growth and Strategic Transaction
LightPath revenue reached $468,000,000 for full-year 2025 (13% YoY growth) with adjusted EBITDA up 17% YoY; LightPath reported $362,000,000 of AI-driven contract value (as disclosed) and priced an inaugural $1,700,000,000 ABS expected to close to repay existing LightPath debt.
Mobile Momentum and Improved Churn
Total mobile lines reached 623,000, up 35% YoY; Q4 added 38,000 mobile lines and annualized mobile churn improved by over 700 basis points, while mobile revenue grew over 40% in the quarter.
Video Profitability and Product Innovation
Despite decline in video revenue, company reported the lowest quarterly video net losses in >5 years (Q4 net loss of 49,000) and video profitability higher in absolute dollars vs 2022; video gross margins improved materially (management cited >750 bps improvement vs 2022) and programming costs fell 16% in the quarter (15% for the full year) aided by introduction of higher-margin, skinnier video tiers.
Customer Experience and Network Recognition
Net Promoter Score improved by 11 points year to date; Ookla Speedtest awarded Optimum Fiber #1 rankings in the Tri-State for speed, reliability and consistency, reinforcing network performance claims.
Negative Updates
Total Revenue Decline
Total Q4 revenue declined 2.3% year over year to approximately $2.2 billion; full-year revenue was ~ $8.6 billion, reflecting ongoing top-line pressure.
Broadband Subscriber Losses
Net loss of 62,000 broadband subscribers in Q4, leaving a broadband base of 4.2 million; management attributed losses to lower gross additions, weak household move activity, heightened price sensitivity, and intense competitive promotional activity.
Video Revenue and Subscriber Contraction
Video subscribers fell to 1.7 million, down 13% year over year; video revenue declined almost 10% in Q4, contributing to ongoing top-line pressure despite improved video margins and lower churn.
High Leverage and Balance Sheet Pressure
Consolidated leverage ratio was ~7.3x last-twelve-months adjusted EBITDA; consolidated liquidity approximately $1.4 billion. Management emphasized the need for meaningful debt reduction and a balance-sheet reset as a strategic priority.
Competitive Intensity and Promotional Headwinds
Management repeatedly cited unprecedented competitive intensity and aggressive promotional spending across markets, which pressured gross additions, increased churn, and constrained subscriber growth despite disciplined pricing and retention actions.
Moderated Fiber Migrations and Near-Term Trade-offs
Intentional slowdown in fiber migrations in mid-2025 moderated net fiber adds (12,000 fiber net adds in Q4) to preserve near-term margins and cash flow; management plans to expand disciplined migrations later in 2026, but near-term migration pace weighed on growth.
Segment-Specific Headwinds: News & Advertising
News and advertising revenue declined 8% in Q4 driven by tougher political advertising comparisons; excluding political revenue, news and advertising grew 6%, indicating uneven segment performance.
ARPU Pressure from Video Decline
While broadband ARPU grew, total residential ARPU growth was modest at 0.4% YoY as a smaller share of customer relationships include video, and video contributed a $2.80 decline to ARPU even as other products offset some of that impact.
Company Guidance
Management guided a 2026 approach focused on simplifying operations and the product portfolio to improve broadband trends while maintaining financial discipline (no explicit 2026 EBITDA/FCF guidance today; more detail in the Q1 call). Key tactical priorities are driving broadband ARPU and convergence (Q4 broadband ARPU $76.71; residential ARPU $134.49; 623k mobile lines with annualized mobile churn improvement >700 bps), disciplined fiber investment and migrations (3,000,000+ fiber passings, 716k fiber customers, 177k total passings added in 2025 including 134k fiber passings; the company can offer 1Gb+ to ~6% of its footprint; Q4 fiber net adds 12k as migrations were moderated), continued cost and margin focus (Q4 adjusted EBITDA $902M, +7.7% y/y; EBITDA margin 41.3%, +380 bps; gross margin 69.5%, +180 bps; ~ $60M y/y OpEx reduction in Q4; >6% headcount reduction), expanded use of AI/automation to reduce contacts and dispatches (dispatch rate improved ~19%; digital interactions +12%; seven‑day repeat rate lowest ever; NPS +11 pts YTD), and active balance‑sheet management (consolidated liquidity ~$1.4B; leverage ~7.3x on last‑two‑quarters annualized EBITDA; WACD 6.8%; weighted life 3.3 yrs; 81% fixed; JPMorgan financings and LightPath’s $1.7B ABS expected to close).

Optimum Communications Inc Class A Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Financials are under heavy pressure: multi-year revenue declines culminated in a steep 2025 drop and a swing to a large net loss. Balance-sheet risk is elevated with persistently negative equity and historically large debt, while cash flow is a partial offset (operating cash flow stayed positive but free cash flow turned negative in 2025).
Income Statement
34
Negative
Results have deteriorated sharply. Revenue has been declining for multiple years, capped by a steep drop in 2025 (annual revenue down ~60% versus 2024). While gross margin remains relatively high (mid-to-high 60% range in 2023–2025), profitability has collapsed: net income swung from modest profits in 2022–2023 to a small loss in 2024 and a very large loss in 2025 (net margin ~-22%). EBITDA margins have held up better (~37–38%), but the widening bottom-line loss indicates heavy below-the-line pressure (e.g., interest, depreciation/amortization, or one-time charges) and materially weaker earnings quality.
Balance Sheet
18
Very Negative
Balance sheet risk is elevated. Equity is negative across all years shown, and leverage is therefore structurally concerning (debt-to-equity is not economically meaningful with negative equity, but it signals a thin/eroded capital base). Total debt is very large (~$25–27B in 2020–2024), and 2025 shows missing/zero debt and assets data, reducing transparency and confidence in trend analysis. The persistent negative equity limits financial flexibility and increases refinancing and covenant risk, particularly in a pressured earnings environment.
Cash Flow
41
Neutral
Cash generation is mixed but somewhat more resilient than earnings. Operating cash flow remains positive and sizable (roughly $1.2B–$3.0B over the period), which is a key support for liquidity. However, free cash flow has deteriorated materially: positive in 2020–2024 but turning negative in 2025, indicating higher capital needs and/or weaker underlying cash conversion. The relationship between cash flow and net income is also volatile (cash flow stayed positive even as net losses expanded), which helps near-term liquidity but raises questions about the sustainability of cash generation if operating trends continue to weaken.
BreakdownDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue8.59B8.95B9.24B9.65B10.09B
Gross Profit5.95B6.06B4.56B4.67B6.71B
EBITDA3.27B3.35B3.46B3.67B4.36B
Net Income-1.87B-102.92M53.20M194.56M990.31M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets30.70B31.70B31.92B33.66B33.22B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments1.12B256.53M302.06M305.48M195.71M
Total Debt26.46B25.31B25.34B26.85B26.78B
Total Liabilities33.00B32.16B32.36B34.17B34.09B
Stockholders Equity-2.31B-469.24M-422.18M-475.21M-819.79M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow-118.84M149.39M121.59M452.62M1.62B
Operating Cash Flow1.23B1.58B1.83B2.37B2.85B
Investing Cash Flow-1.29B-1.46B-1.71B-1.92B-1.57B
Financing Cash Flow949.36M-171.98M-122.59M-335.91M-1.36B

Optimum Communications Inc Class A Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Negative
Last Price1.53
Price Trends
50DMA
1.72
Negative
100DMA
1.93
Negative
200DMA
2.16
Negative
Market Momentum
MACD
-0.05
Positive
RSI
37.05
Neutral
STOCH
7.71
Positive
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For OPTU, the sentiment is Negative. The current price of 1.53 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 1.62, below the 50-day MA of 1.72, and below the 200-day MA of 2.16, indicating a bearish trend. The MACD of -0.05 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 37.05 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 7.71 is Positive, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for OPTU.

Optimum Communications Inc Class A Risk Analysis

Optimum Communications Inc Class A disclosed 24 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Optimum Communications Inc Class A reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

Optimum Communications Inc Class A Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (60)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
80
Outperform
$113.69B5.8621.92%4.42%0.20%61.54%
60
Neutral
$48.67B4.58-11.27%4.14%2.83%-41.78%
58
Neutral
$33.99B6.3831.52%0.42%13.46%
55
Neutral
$8.19B-4.59-4.56%23.46%
50
Neutral
$644.83M-27.38%10.11%-4.94%-335.70%
43
Neutral
$747.99M-0.39-4.19%-982.67%
* Communication Services Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
OPTU
Optimum Communications Inc Class A
1.53
-1.28
-45.55%
LUMN
Lumen Technologies
7.83
3.50
80.83%
CHTR
Charter Communications
230.16
-135.64
-37.08%
CMCSA
Comcast
31.34
-1.32
-4.04%
CABO
Cable ONE
105.32
-176.68
-62.65%

Optimum Communications Inc Class A Corporate Events

Business Operations and StrategyPrivate Placements and Financing
Optimum Communications Secures $1.1 Billion Incremental Term Loan
Positive
Jan 12, 2026

On January 12, 2026, Optimum Communications’ indirect subsidiaries Cablevision Litchfield, LLC and CSC Optimum Holdings, LLC entered into an Amended and Restated Credit Agreement that adds an incremental term loan commitment of $1.1 billion, with the new loans matching the terms of an existing November 25, 2025 credit facility, including a 9.0% fixed interest rate, maturity on November 25, 2028, and no amortization. The incremental term loan proceeds were used to fully refinance outstanding debt under a July 16, 2025 receivables facility, cover related fees and expenses, and provide excess funds for general corporate purposes, reshaping the company’s debt profile and potentially enhancing financial flexibility for its operations.

The most recent analyst rating on (OPTU) stock is a Sell with a $1.75 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Optimum Communications Inc Class A stock, see the OPTU Stock Forecast page.

Business Operations and StrategyPrivate Placements and Financing
Optimum Communications Secures $2 Billion Loan Amendment
Neutral
Nov 25, 2025

On November 25, 2025, Optimum Communications Inc.’s subsidiary, CSC Holdings, LLC, entered into a Fourteenth Amendment to its Credit Agreement, securing $2 billion in new incremental term loan commitments. This amendment aims to refinance existing loans and extend maturity dates, impacting the company’s financial structure. Additionally, Cablevision Litchfield, LLC and CSC Optimum Holdings, LLC, also subsidiaries of Optimum Communications, entered into a separate $2 billion credit agreement to refinance the newly acquired loans, indicating a strategic financial maneuver to optimize debt management.

The most recent analyst rating on (OPTU) stock is a Sell with a $1.50 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Optimum Communications Inc Class A stock, see the OPTU Stock Forecast page.

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Feb 14, 2026