Brokerages Set Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) PT at $161.82

Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fourteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $161.8182.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MTN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $159.00 to $151.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Vail Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $159.00 to $165.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Vail Resorts from $169.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Barclays reduced their target price on Vail Resorts from $140.00 to $138.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Vail Resorts from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th.

Vail Resorts Stock Performance

Vail Resorts stock opened at $123.30 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.43, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $132.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.86. Vail Resorts has a 52-week low of $118.51 and a 52-week high of $175.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.11, a P/E/G ratio of 10.63 and a beta of 0.70.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last issued its earnings results on Monday, March 9th. The company reported $5.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.06 by ($0.19). Vail Resorts had a net margin of 7.89% and a return on equity of 29.72%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.56 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Vail Resorts will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vail Resorts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 26th were issued a dividend of $2.22 per share. This represents a $8.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 26th. Vail Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is presently 144.86%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vail Resorts news, CEO Robert A. Katz bought 37,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 purchase, the chief executive officer owned 285,312 shares in the company, valued at $37,606,974.72. This represents a 15.13% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Angela A. Korch purchased 190 shares of Vail Resorts stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were bought at an average price of $131.85 per share, for a total transaction of $25,051.50. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 5,539 shares in the company, valued at $730,317.15. This represents a 3.55% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vail Resorts

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 21.5% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 424 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Comerica Bank grew its holdings in Vail Resorts by 0.4% during the third quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 17,552 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,625,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. increased its stake in Vail Resorts by 1.2% in the third quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 6,903 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,032,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Provident Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Vail Resorts by 1.6% in the third quarter. Provident Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,821 shares of the company’s stock worth $871,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 0.9% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,993 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,644,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.90% of the company’s stock.

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.