Swiss National Bank Raises Stock Position in Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN)

Swiss National Bank lifted its position in shares of Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 73,700 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Vail Resorts were worth $13,815,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vail Resorts during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 246.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 208 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Vail Resorts by 37.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 302 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP increased its holdings in Vail Resorts by 418.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.94% of the company’s stock.

Vail Resorts Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:MTN opened at $163.85 on Thursday. Vail Resorts, Inc. has a 12-month low of $151.99 and a 12-month high of $233.57. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $166.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $175.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.64. The firm has a market cap of $6.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.22, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.12.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The company reported $6.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.29 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion. Vail Resorts had a net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 21.90%. Vail Resorts’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $5.76 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Vail Resorts, Inc. will post 7.62 EPS for the current year.

Vail Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 27th will be issued a dividend of $2.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 27th. This represents a $8.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.42%. Vail Resorts’s payout ratio is 130.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Angela A. Korch purchased 185 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $160.00 per share, for a total transaction of $29,600.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $472,960. The trade was a 6.68 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vail Resorts from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Vail Resorts from $166.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Vail Resorts from $197.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Vail Resorts from $185.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on Vail Resorts from $227.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $193.56.

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.