Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) Coverage Initiated at UBS Group

UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) in a research report report published on Thursday morning, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage issued a neutral rating and a $185.00 price objective on the stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on MTN. StockNews.com downgraded Vail Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Vail Resorts from $223.00 to $216.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Vail Resorts from $218.00 to $194.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $161.00 to $155.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Macquarie reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Vail Resorts in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vail Resorts currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $205.90.

Vail Resorts Stock Performance

NYSE:MTN traded down $2.10 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $176.21. The stock had a trading volume of 204,600 shares, compared to its average volume of 521,145. 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 has a market cap of $6.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $175.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $180.70. Vail Resorts has a 12-month low of $165.00 and a 12-month high of $236.92.

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

Vail Resorts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 8th were paid a $2.22 dividend. This represents a $8.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.04%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 8th. Vail Resorts’s payout ratio is currently 147.26%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Angela A. Korch acquired 165 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $173.09 per share, for a total transaction of $28,559.85. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 2,187 shares in the company, valued at $378,547.83. This trade represents a 8.16 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director John F. Sorte sold 1,670 shares of Vail Resorts stock in a transaction that occurred 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. The trade was a 3.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vail Resorts

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

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.