reports
- Vikash Harlalka
OPTU: Model update post 4Q results
Earlier today, we published our quick take on Optimum’s 4Q results and our thoughts following the call note. The big story from today’s results and call is that management hasn’t provided guidance for 2026 EBITDA. Our EBITDA estimate is relatively unchanged, but we expect consensus EBITDA estimate to head lower and land closer to our estimate. In this note, we cover changes to our estimates, and comparisons with guidance and consensus. We also look at Optimum’s relative valuation in comparison w...
- Vikash Harlalka
OPTU: Missed Opportunities
We were looking forward to Optimum management sharing healthy guidance for 2026 EBITDA on the call but were disappointed. A lack of guidance stokes investor uncertainty. We hope more color emerges on the next earnings call (it would be even better if Dennis provided guidance at our Conference on March 26th). Management has also been reluctant to reveal accounting and cash flow details around Lightpath AI hyperscaler contracts. We see this as a missed opportunity. In this note, we discuss broadba...
- Vikash Harlalka
OPTU 4Q25 Quick Take: Strong Financials
Optimum’s broadband losses were higher than stale consensus estimates. Management had said at an industry conference late last year that broadband losses will be elevated in 4Q and the losses came in slightly better than we expected. Revenue was quite strong, driven mainly by higher broadband and business services revenue. Broadband ARPU growth of 2.8% was much higher than expected. EBITDA was just above consensus estimates. We expect the stock to trade up on results, but where it winds up for t...
- Vikash Harlalka
ATUS: Lowering subscriber estimates following 3Q results
We published a comprehensive note last week where we discussed whether Optimum can achieve their 2025 EBITDA guidance. We laid out all the revenue and cost items that can help Optimum achieve close to double digit EBITDA growth in 4Q. In this note, we cover changes to our estimates, and comparisons with guidance and consensus. We also look at Optimum’s relative valuation in comparison with peers, and what we believe is needed to justify Optimum’s current valuation.
- Vikash Harlalka
ATUS: Can Altice achieve their EBITDA guidance?
Heading into 3Q, we were worried that Altice might lower its full year EBITDA guidance. This didn’t happen. Management sounded confident that they would be able to meet their original guidance. Investors remain skeptical though as 4Q25 will be the first quarter since 3Q21 where Altice is trying to report positive EBITDA growth. Making things more challenging, 4Q implied growth is almost double digits. Our view is investor skepticism is well-founded.
- Vikash Harlalka
ATUS 3Q25 Quick Take: Subs and EBITDA miss; ’25 full year EBITDA guida...
Altice’s broadband losses were higher than expected. EBITDA also missed consensus estimates. Management has, however, reaffirmed their EBITDA guidance of $3.4BN for this year. We expect the stock to trade down on results, but, like CMCSA and CHTR last week, where it winds up for the day will depend on commentary around expected 4Q subscriber trends and management’s confidence around their EBITDA guidance.
- David Barden
Autumn for Broadband 3Q25 – FWA ascendant, Cable struggling
We share here, in our latest Autumn for Broadband report, a quick update on broadband industry trends based on reported company results so far. Industry net adds have improved substantially from a year ago but remain below last year’s when adjusted for ACP impact. Net adds for the quarter were higher than the pre-pandemic norm but trailing twelve-month net adds remain below pre-pandemic levels. We take a deep-dive into FWA’s continued strong momentum by carrier.
- Vikash Harlalka
BEAD: Update for the Lone Star State
We have updated our BEAD analysis to include the proposal from Texas which was allocated the largest amount of BEAD funding. We now include BEAD proposals from 52 states & territories in our below analysis. We have also updated the analysis for states that have revised their proposals.
- David Barden
3Q25 Broadband Estimate Deep Dive
If you are one of those eager contrarians looking for the quarter where a combination of discount valuations and even a modest turnaround in cable KPI trends could boost the stocks, this probably ain’t it. The cable industry continues to lose subscribers at an elevated pace with Comcast doing worse than Charter thanks to the 1-2 punch of fiber and FWA.
- Vikash Harlalka
BEAD: Update for 3 More States
In this latest update, we now include BEAD proposals from 51 states & territories. We have updated our analysis for Alaska, Florida and Utah. Comcast, Brightspeed and AT&T remain at the top of the list among wireline operators. Fiber remains the dominant technology both in terms of locations as well as funding.
- Vikash Harlalka
BEAD: Impact of Price caps on funding
Based on a leaked internal NTIA memo related to BEAD, it seems like the final proposals by the states may not be final and the NTIA may force them to make changes to their plans. We have analyzed all the proposals so far and estimate that Comcast, AT&T and Frontier may be most impacted by these rules. However, the overall impact isn’t material.
- Vikash Harlalka
Cable’s win share among movers
There has been an ongoing debate among investors whether low moves actually hurt the Cable companies. Until now, it wasn’t possible to answer this question due to lack of data. We now have data from Opensignal that helps us answer this question. In this report, we show that the large Cable operators have been winning more than 50% share among movers who are new to their footprint. The win share has declined over time, especially as competitive intensity has increased. Cable operators can reduce ...
- Vikash Harlalka
BEAD: Another Major Update
We are almost in the home stretch of the BEAD proposal process. In this latest update, we now include BEAD proposals from 48 states & territories. We also incorporate the revisions in some state proposals. Comcast and Brightspeed are at the top of the list among wireline operators. Fiber’s share of locations remained unchanged from our last update. Satellite and FWA together account for close to a third of the locations awarded.
- Vikash Harlalka
ATUS 3Q25 Preview
This report covers changes to our model to incorporate recent management commentary at investor conferences. We increased broadband losses and lowered EBITDA for the quarter (full year EBITDA remains unchanged). We expect consensus estimates to come closer to our estimates. No change to thesis.
- Vikash Harlalka
BEAD: Update for 7 more proposals
In this latest update, we now include BEAD proposals from 39 states & territories. Comcast and AT&T remain at the top of the list among wireline operators. Fiber’s share of locations has stabilized with small share shifts in either direction with each update (fiber’s share increased slightly after this update). Satellite and FWA together account for close to a third of the locations awarded.
- Vikash Harlalka
BEAD: Funding wins and investments by operator
In this note on BEAD, we summarize the funding wins so far for each operator along with the matching investment they are expected to make based on the cost estimates of each state. Based on the state estimates, they are contributing 63% of the estimated build costs and the operators are expected to invest 37% of the cost. The share of investments needed varies depending on the operator, and in some cases may be lower than estimated.
- Vikash Harlalka
BEAD: NTIA Deadline is here
Today is the deadline for all states to submit their final proposals. We now include proposals from 32 states in this latest update on BEAD. Fiber’s share of locations has nearly stabilized with small share shifts in either direction with each update (fiber’s share declined slightly after this update). Satellite and FWA together account for a third of the locations awarded.
- Vikash Harlalka
BEAD: Half-time report
Our latest BEAD update includes proposals from 25 states. Fiber remains the preferred technology with its share improving slightly from our last update. In this note, we analyze the results, compare them with estimates from our Broadband Insights database, and its implications for broadband companies. We also update our summary for BEAD proposals so far.
- Vikash Harlalka
BEAD: More state proposals; Fiber share nearly stable
24 states have now reported their BEAD proposals. Fiber remains the preferred technology, and their share of locations slipped only slightly in this latest round of updates. In this note, we analyze the results, compare them with estimates from our Broadband Insights database, and its implications for broadband companies. We also update our summary for BEAD proposals so far.
- Vikash Harlalka
BEAD: Fiber slips further; FWA gains some ground
Georgia, New Mexico and Oklahoma have reported their BEAD proposals. We are also including the numbers released by Washington yesterday. While fiber remains the dominant technology, its share slipped further. FWA and satellite increased their share of locations. In this note, we analyze the results, compare them with estimates from our Broadband Insights database, and its implications for broadband companies.
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