Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) Cut to Sell at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Tuesday.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on MTN. Macquarie restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Vail Resorts in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Vail Resorts from $161.00 to $155.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Vail Resorts from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Vail Resorts from $223.00 to $216.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Vail Resorts from $218.00 to $194.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $205.90.

Vail Resorts Stock Down 0.8 %

MTN opened at $178.42 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.69 billion, a PE ratio of 29.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $175.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $180.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. Vail Resorts has a 52 week low of $165.00 and a 52 week high of $236.92.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 26th. The company reported ($4.67) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($4.28) by ($0.39). The business had revenue of $265.39 million for 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%. Vail Resorts’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($3.35) EPS. Analysts forecast that Vail Resorts will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vail Resorts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 8th were given a $2.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 8th. This represents a $8.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.98%. Vail Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is presently 147.26%.

Insider Transactions at Vail Resorts

In related news, CFO Angela A. Korch bought 165 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $173.09 per share, for a total transaction of $28,559.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,187 shares in the company, valued at $378,547.83. This trade represents a 8.16 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Robert A. Katz sold 9,296 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.98, for a total transaction of $1,635,910.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 245,961 shares in the company, valued at $43,284,216.78. This represents a 3.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vail Resorts

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MTN. Benjamin Edwards Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vail Resorts during the 3rd quarter worth $335,000. Bamco Inc. NY lifted its stake in Vail Resorts by 2.7% during the third quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 5,185,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $903,717,000 after purchasing an additional 136,328 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in Vail Resorts during the 3rd quarter valued at about $503,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vail Resorts in the third quarter valued at approximately $388,000. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Vail Resorts in the third quarter worth $12,577,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.94% of the company’s stock.

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.