Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) Short Interest Up 18.6% in March

Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 5,880,976 shares, a growth of 18.6% from the March 15th total of 4,957,245 shares. Currently, 16.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,042,455 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.6 days.

Vail Resorts Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MTN traded up $3.63 during trading on Friday, reaching $132.94. 567,798 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 726,741. The company’s 50 day moving average is $134.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $140.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.74 billion, a PE ratio of 21.69, a PEG ratio of 9.34 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.43. Vail Resorts has a 52 week low of $123.82 and a 52 week high of $175.51.

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

Vail Resorts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 26th were given a dividend of $2.22 per share. This represents a $8.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 26th. Vail Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is presently 144.86%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Vail Resorts in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vail Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Barclays reduced their price target on Vail Resorts from $140.00 to $138.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Vail Resorts in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $135.00 price target for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Vail Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $159.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $162.27.

Insider Activity at Vail Resorts

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

Institutional Trading of Vail Resorts

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MTN. BOKF NA lifted its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 833.3% during the 3rd quarter. BOKF NA now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. NBT Bank N A NY lifted its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 450.0% during the 3rd quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 176 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 815.8% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 83.3% during the 4th quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 220 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. 94.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Vail Resorts

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.