Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the fourteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $161.8182.

Several research firms have commented on MTN. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Vail Resorts in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $135.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Vail Resorts from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $151.00 to $147.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $175.00 to $172.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $202.00 to $200.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 10th.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Robert A. Katz bought 37,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $131.81 per share, with a total value of $4,942,875.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 285,312 shares in the company, valued at $37,606,974.72. The trade was a 15.13% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Angela A. Korch bought 190 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $131.85 per share, for a total transaction of $25,051.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 5,539 shares in the company, valued at approximately $730,317.15. This represents a 3.55% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vail Resorts

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bamco Inc. NY boosted its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 5,702,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $852,952,000 after acquiring an additional 227,143 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 5,002,662 shares of the company’s stock worth $748,248,000 after acquiring an additional 74,528 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,196,445 shares of the company’s stock worth $424,488,000 after acquiring an additional 182,982 shares in the last quarter. Oasis Management Co Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Oasis Management Co Ltd. now owns 1,851,234 shares of the company’s stock worth $245,844,000 after acquiring an additional 141,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 26.0% during the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 976,732 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,334,000 after acquiring an additional 201,750 shares in the last quarter. 94.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vail Resorts Stock Performance

Shares of MTN stock opened at $133.76 on Monday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $127.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $135.83. The company has a market cap of $4.77 billion, a PE ratio of 21.82, a PEG ratio of 11.32 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.43. Vail Resorts has a 12-month low of $118.51 and a 12-month high of $172.00.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 9th. The company reported $5.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.06 by ($0.19). Vail Resorts had a net margin of 7.89% and a return on equity of 29.72%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.56 earnings per share. Vail Resorts’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Vail Resorts will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vail Resorts Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 26th were paid a dividend of $2.22 per share. This represents a $8.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 26th. Vail Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is presently 144.86%.

Vail Resorts Company Profile

Vail Resorts, Inc is a leading mountain resort company that owns and operates an integrated network of ski areas, hotels, restaurants and retail outlets. The company’s signature Epic Pass program offers skiers and snowboarders season‐long access to its portfolio of resorts, while ancillary services such as ski and snowboard schools, equipment rental and retail drive additional revenue.

Headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, Vail Resorts was formed in 1997, building on the legacy of Vail Associates, which opened the Vail ski area in 1962.