Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) was the target of a large increase in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 7,338,160 shares, an increase of 24.8% from the March 31st total of 5,880,976 shares. Currently, 20.8% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 623,164 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 11.8 days.

Vail Resorts News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Vail Resorts this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vail announced its summer operations schedule, which supports off‑season revenue diversification and helps offset winter volatility. Vail Resorts announces summer operations schedule
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks trimmed a few near-term quarter forecasts modestly (e.g., Q2 2028 and Q3 2026 cuts), reflecting small downward adjustments rather than large surprises; these changes alone are incremental. Zacks Research
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded MTN to a “Strong Sell” and repeatedly lowered EPS estimates across FY2026–FY2028 and multiple quarters — cuts include sizeable downgrades to FY2027 and FY2028 consensus targets — creating downward pressure on the stock. Zacks.com
• Negative Sentiment: New Hampshire officials are investigating Vail over the application of sales tax to Epic Pass purchases; the policy change has drawn public and political backlash, which could lead to reputational, legal or remediation costs and complicate pass sales strategies. Vail Resorts add sales tax to Epic Pass purchases New Hampshire Investigating Vail Resorts for “Not So Epic” Sales Tax

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Vail Resorts from $217.00 to $212.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised Vail Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $159.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Zacks Research cut Vail Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays decreased 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Vail Resorts from $151.00 to $147.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vail Resorts currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $161.82.

Insider Activity at Vail Resorts

In related news, CFO Angela A. Korch bought 190 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was purchased 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 trade represents a 3.55% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert A. Katz bought 37,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $131.81 per share, with a total value of $4,942,875.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 285,312 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,606,974.72. This trade represents 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 Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its stake in Vail Resorts by 21.5% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 424 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Comerica Bank grew its stake in Vail Resorts by 0.4% during the third quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 17,552 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,625,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. grew its stake in Vail Resorts by 1.2% during the third quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 6,903 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,032,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Provident Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Vail Resorts by 1.6% during 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 grew its stake in 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 during the period. 94.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vail Resorts Stock Performance

MTN stock traded down $0.98 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $126.20. The stock had a trading volume of 670,919 shares, compared to its average volume of 810,872. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.59, a P/E/G ratio of 10.74 and a beta of 0.70. Vail Resorts has a 52 week low of $118.51 and a 52 week high of $175.51. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $132.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $139.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.43.

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). The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.11 billion. Vail Resorts had a return on equity of 29.72% and a net margin of 7.89%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.56 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vail Resorts will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Vail Resorts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 26th were paid a dividend of $2.22 per share. This represents a $8.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.0%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 26th. Vail Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is currently 144.86%.

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.