123,604 Shares in Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) Acquired by Raymond James Financial Inc.

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 123,604 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,170,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned about 0.33% of Vail Resorts as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MTN. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Vail Resorts by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,716,657 shares of the company's stock valued at $696,687,000 after acquiring an additional 25,916 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Vail Resorts by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,202,176 shares of the company's stock valued at $225,348,000 after buying an additional 47,417 shares in the last quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP raised its stake in Vail Resorts by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP now owns 522,285 shares of the company's stock valued at $97,902,000 after buying an additional 57,484 shares in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Vail Resorts by 30.2% during the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 444,344 shares of the company's stock worth $83,292,000 after buying an additional 103,033 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $80,669,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.94% of the company's stock.

Vail Resorts Price Performance

MTN traded up $2.72 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $138.43. The stock had a trading volume of 490,813 shares, compared to its average volume of 579,136. Vail Resorts, Inc. has a 1-year low of $129.85 and a 1-year high of $206.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.93. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $153.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $169.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.64.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The company reported $6.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.29 by $0.27. Vail Resorts had a return on equity of 21.90% and a net margin of 8.07%. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.76 earnings per share. Vail Resorts's revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Vail Resorts, Inc. will post 7.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vail Resorts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 27th were issued a dividend of $2.22 per share. This represents a $8.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 27th. Vail Resorts's payout ratio is 130.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MTN shares. Barclays restated an "underweight" rating and set a $152.00 price objective (down from $165.00) on shares of Vail Resorts in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Macquarie dropped their price objective on shares of Vail Resorts from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Vail Resorts from $166.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Vail Resorts from $185.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Vail Resorts from $197.00 to $178.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $190.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Angela A. Korch bought 185 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $160.00 per share, for a total transaction of $29,600.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,956 shares of the company's stock, valued at $472,960. The trade was a 6.68 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.