Analysts Set Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) Target Price at $205.50

Shares of Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the ten brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $205.50.

Several research analysts have commented on MTN shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Vail Resorts from $182.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Vail Resorts from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $185.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Vail Resorts from $216.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Vail Resorts from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday.

Vail Resorts Stock Down 1.8 %

NYSE:MTN traded down $3.49 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $190.42. The company's stock had a trading volume of 487,792 shares, compared to its average volume of 616,245. Vail Resorts has a 52-week low of $165.00 and a 52-week high of $236.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $177.35 and a 200-day moving average of $178.78.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The company reported ($4.61) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($4.99) by $0.38. Vail Resorts had a return on equity of 21.90% and a net margin of 8.07%. The business had revenue of $260.28 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $251.45 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($4.60) EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Vail Resorts will post 7.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Vail Resorts Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 4.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 26th. Vail Resorts's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 147.51%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John F. Sorte sold 1,670 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.07, for a total value of $289,026.90. Following the sale, the director now owns 45,111 shares in the company, valued at $7,807,360.77. This represents a 3.57 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert A. Katz sold 9,296 shares of Vail Resorts stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.98, for a total value of $1,635,910.08. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 245,961 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. Insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vail Resorts during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $257,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its position in Vail Resorts by 25.6% during the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 7,988 shares of the company's stock worth $1,439,000 after buying an additional 1,626 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in Vail Resorts by 620.0% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 16,610 shares of the company's stock worth $2,992,000 after buying an additional 14,303 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts by 29.3% in the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 87,539 shares of the company's stock worth $15,768,000 after acquiring an additional 19,857 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 28.0% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,645 shares of the company's stock valued at $665,000 after acquiring an additional 798 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.