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

Shares of Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $165.00.

Several research firms recently commented on MTN. Barclays reduced their target price on Vail Resorts from $140.00 to $138.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Vail Resorts in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $135.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Vail Resorts from $175.00 to $172.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $169.00 price objective on shares of Vail Resorts in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vail Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th.

Vail Resorts Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:MTN opened at $131.07 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $135.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $141.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.43, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.51. Vail Resorts has a one year low of $123.82 and a one year high of $175.51. The company has a market cap of $4.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 9.47 and a beta of 0.79.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 9th. The company reported $5.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.06 by ($0.19). Vail Resorts had a return on equity of 29.72% and a net margin of 7.89%.The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.56 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Vail Resorts will post 7.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vail Resorts Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 26th will be given a dividend of $2.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 26th. This represents a $8.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.8%. Vail Resorts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 144.86%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Robert A. Katz bought 37,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $131.81 per share, for a total transaction of $4,942,875.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 285,312 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,606,974.72. The trade was a 15.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Angela A. Korch bought 190 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was bought at an average price of $131.85 per share, with a total value of $25,051.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 5,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $730,317.15. This represents a 3.55% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vail Resorts

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MTN. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in Vail Resorts by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 22,022 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,925,000 after buying an additional 3,023 shares in the last quarter. Union Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of Vail Resorts during the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. Midway Capital Research & Management bought a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,070,000. River Road Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts by 37.9% in the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 508,498 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,529,000 after acquiring an additional 139,828 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts in the 4th quarter valued at $935,000. 94.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.