Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold” Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Monday.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on MTN. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Vail Resorts from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Vail Resorts from $223.00 to $216.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Vail Resorts from $218.00 to $194.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Macquarie restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Vail Resorts in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Vail Resorts from $161.00 to $155.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $208.22.

Vail Resorts Price Performance

MTN stock opened at $166.62 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.25 billion, a PE ratio of 27.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $176.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $182.07. Vail Resorts has a 52-week low of $165.00 and a 52-week high of $236.92.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 26th. The company reported ($4.67) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($4.28) by ($0.39). The company had revenue of $265.39 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $264.84 million. Vail Resorts had a net margin of 7.99% and a return on equity of 20.76%. The company’s revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($3.35) earnings per share. Analysts predict that Vail Resorts will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vail Resorts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 8th were given a dividend of $2.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 8th. This represents a $8.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.33%. Vail Resorts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 147.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director John F. Sorte sold 1,670 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.07, for a total transaction of $289,026.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 45,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,807,360.77. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Robert A. Katz sold 9,296 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.98, for a total value of $1,635,910.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 245,961 shares in the company, valued at $43,284,216.78. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director John F. Sorte sold 1,670 shares of Vail Resorts stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.07, for a total value of $289,026.90. Following the transaction, the director now owns 45,111 shares in the company, valued at $7,807,360.77. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vail Resorts

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts by 150.9% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 138 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Vail Resorts during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Vail Resorts in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its stake in Vail Resorts by 318.8% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Vail Resorts by 123.5% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 219 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. 94.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vail Resorts Company Profile

Vail Resorts, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates mountain resorts and regional ski areas in the United States. It operates through three segments: Mountain, Lodging, and Real Estate. The Mountain segment operates 41 destination mountain resorts and regional ski areas. This segment is also involved in the ancillary activities, including ski school, dining, and retail/rental operations, as well as real estate brokerage activities.