KBC Group NV Cuts Holdings in Vail Resorts, Inc. $MTN

KBC Group NV reduced its position in Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) by 39.1% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 982 shares of the company’s stock after selling 630 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Vail Resorts were worth $154,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MTN. Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in Vail Resorts in the 1st quarter worth approximately $798,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts by 21.3% in the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 4,237 shares of the company’s stock valued at $678,000 after purchasing an additional 745 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in shares of Vail Resorts in the first quarter valued at $1,397,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS increased its position in Vail Resorts by 5.1% in the first quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 8,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,344,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in Vail Resorts during the first quarter valued at $283,000. 94.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Angela A. Korch bought 210 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $155.00 per share, with a total value of $32,550.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 4,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $760,275. This trade represents a 4.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MTN has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of Vail Resorts from $170.00 to $165.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Vail Resorts from $146.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Vail Resorts from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Vail Resorts from $175.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on Vail Resorts from $216.00 to $195.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $175.60.

Vail Resorts Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE MTN opened at $140.35 on Thursday. Vail Resorts, Inc. has a 1 year low of $129.85 and a 1 year high of $199.45. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $149.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $153.16. The company has a market cap of $5.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.94, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.44, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.56.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last released its earnings results on Monday, September 29th. The company reported ($5.08) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($4.75) by ($0.33). Vail Resorts had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 31.54%. The business had revenue of $271.29 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $272.87 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($4.67) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Vail Resorts, Inc. will post 7.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Vail Resorts Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 9th were given a dividend of $2.22 per share. This represents a $8.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 9th. Vail Resorts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 119.84%.

Vail Resorts 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.