Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) Price Target Raised to $217.00

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) had its price target lifted by Stifel Nicolaus from $216.00 to $217.00 in a research note published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on MTN. Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Vail Resorts in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $182.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $222.00 to $227.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. StockNews.com raised shares of Vail Resorts from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Vail Resorts in a report on Thursday, November 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $185.00 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vail Resorts currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $204.00.

Vail Resorts Stock Performance

Shares of MTN stock opened at $195.44 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $176.27 and its 200 day moving average is $178.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company has a market capitalization of $7.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.14. Vail Resorts has a one year low of $165.00 and a one year high of $236.92.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The company reported ($4.61) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($4.99) by $0.38. The firm had revenue of $260.28 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $251.45 million. Vail Resorts had a net margin of 7.99% and a return on equity of 20.76%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($4.60) EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Vail Resorts will post 7.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vail Resorts Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th will be paid a dividend of $2.22 per share. This represents a $8.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 26th. Vail Resorts’s payout ratio is 147.26%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vail Resorts news, insider Robert A. Katz sold 9,296 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the insider now owns 245,961 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,284,216.78. This trade represents a 3.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Angela A. Korch bought 165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $173.09 per share, for a total transaction of $28,559.85. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now owns 2,187 shares in the company, valued at $378,547.83. This trade represents a 8.16 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vail Resorts

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Vail Resorts by 150.9% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 138 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 318.8% during the second quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 123.5% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 219 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.94% of the company’s stock.

About Vail Resorts

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.