Charter Communications management check
CHTR · Communication Services · Cable & Satellite · CEO Christopher L Winfrey
Filings as of
4 good · 0 to watch · 2 flagged, across the seven questions below.
- Flag
Have owners done well?
Trailed its chosen peers$100 invested at the start of fiscal 2021 grew to $32, against $127 for the peer group the company picked itself.
- Good
Does pay follow performance?
Pay rose and fell with returnsOver 5 years, the CEO's pay actually paid (equity valued at the share price) had a correlation of 0.56 with shareholder return. 1 means pay moved in step; below 0, the opposite way.
- n/a
What does the CEO cost owners?
Not enough dataNo pay or net income figure for the latest year.
- Good
Do they own the stock?
Insiders are buyingThe CEO holds 77,877 shares, directly or through trusts (unvested awards not counted): about 2.1 years of pay. 4 insiders bought $3.8m on the open market in the last six months, with their own money, near the lows.
- Good
Are owners being diluted?
Share count shrinkingDiluted shares changed -4.8% a year over the last three fiscal years. Stock-based pay was 1.2% of revenue in the latest year.
- Flag
Is leadership stable?
2 CEOs in the pay tableCEOs in the pay table: Mr. Rutledge, Mr. Winfrey. 15 filings under 8-K item 5.02 (officers or directors leaving or joining, or new pay arrangements) in the last 3 years.
- Good
Are the books clean?
No red flags on fileNo restatements, auditor changes or late filings since 2021.
Against the S&P 500
Each check's score (0–100) and how it compares: the share of ranked S&P 500 companies it matches or beats, and the median in Communication Services.
| Check | Score | At or above | Sector median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner returns | 0 | 27 | |
| Pay for performance | 78 | 76 | |
| CEO cost | — | — | 72 |
| Skin in the game | 71 | 75 | |
| Dilution | 100 | 65 | |
| Stable leadership | 10 | 93 | |
| Clean books | 100 | 100 |
Closest peers
Others in Cable & Satellite, by management score. Charter Communications is 11th of 18 in its sector.
- 97CMCSAComcast76
- 282TMUST-Mobile US63
- 318NFLXNetflix60
- 320CHTRCharter Communications60
- 344METAMeta Platforms59
- 352TKOTKO Group Holdings58
Pay versus performance
From the proxy statement filed March 12, 2026. "Actually paid" values stock awards at the share price, so it rises and falls with the stock.
| Fiscal year | CEO | CEO pay | Actually paid | Other executives (avg) | $100 became | Peers | Net income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Mr. Winfrey | $6.5m | −$46.1m | $4.4m | $32 | $127 | — |
| 2024 | Mr. Winfrey | $5.8m | −$24.9m | $3.4m | $52 | $114 | — |
| 2023 | Mr. Winfrey | $89.1m | $93.6m | $25.2m | $59 | $87 | — |
| 2022 | Mr. Rutledge, Mr. Winfrey | $39.2m | −$7.5m | $7.5m | $51 | $75 | — |
| 2021 | Mr. Rutledge | $41.9m | $39.9m | $8.2m | $99 | $101 | — |
The board says pay is tied most to Adjusted EBITDA. Its other key measures: Revenue, Capital and Free Cash Flow Management, Network Expansion and Evolution, Strategic Priorities.
Insiders and the CEO's stake
Christopher L Winfrey (President and CEO) held 77,877 shares directly after their latest Form 4 on Apr 28, 2026, roughly $13.4m at that filing's price.
4 insiders bought $3.8m on the open market in the last six months, with their own money, near the lows.
- BoughtMauricio RamosDirector$1.4mMay 15, 2026
- BoughtChristopher L WinfreyPresident and CEO$1.2mApr 28, 2026
- BoughtWade DavisDirector$995kApr 28, 2026
- BoughtBalan NairDirector$175kApr 28, 2026
Leadership and governance on file
- Oct 13, 2026Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Aug 31, 2026Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Aug 20, 2026Leadership change8-K 5.02
- May 19, 2026Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Apr 23, 2026Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Feb 25, 2026Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jan 28, 2026Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jan 22, 2026Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Dec 12, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Dec 5, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Aug 5, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Apr 25, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
Latest shareholder vote results: Apr 23, 2026, including the say-on-pay vote.
Where the money went
Over 2021–2025: $35.3bn returned to owners in buybacks and dividends, 145% of net income, and $2.9bn of pay in stock.
| Fiscal year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $51.7bn | $54.0bn | $54.6bn | $55.1bn | $54.8bn |
| Net income | $4.7bn | $5.1bn | $4.6bn | $5.1bn | $5.0bn |
| Stock-based pay | $430.0m | $470.0m | $692.0m | $651.0m | $673.0m |
| Buybacks | $15.4bn | $10.3bn | $3.2bn | $1.2bn | $5.1bn |
| Dividends | — | — | — | — | — |
| Diluted shares | 193m | 164m | 152m | 145m | 138m |
Educational only, not investment advice. Figures are as filed with the SEC: pay from the proxy's pay-versus-performance table, capital allocation from 10-K XBRL data, insider trades from Form 4s over the last six months, events from the last 5 years of filings. The peer group is the one the company chose. See the method.