Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) Raised to "Hold" at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Friday morning.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on MTN. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Vail Resorts from $216.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Vail Resorts from $182.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Vail Resorts from $222.00 to $227.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday. Barclays raised their target price on Vail Resorts from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $205.50.

Vail Resorts Trading Down 1.8 %

Vail Resorts stock traded down $3.48 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $190.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 487,790 shares, compared to its average volume of 532,370. Vail Resorts has a 1 year low of $165.00 and a 1 year 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 firm has a market capitalization of $7.14 billion, a PE ratio of 31.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.14. The stock's fifty day moving average is $177.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $178.86.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 21.90%. The company had revenue of $260.28 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $251.45 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($4.60) earnings per share. Vail Resorts's revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Vail Resorts will post 7.47 EPS for the current year.

Vail Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th will be given a dividend of $2.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $8.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.66%. Vail Resorts's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 147.51%.

Insider Activity at Vail Resorts

In related news, insider Robert A. Katz sold 9,296 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.98, for a total value of $1,635,910.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 245,961 shares of the company's stock, valued at $43,284,216.78. The trade was a 3.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John F. Sorte sold 1,670 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.07, for a total value of $289,026.90. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 45,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,807,360.77. The trade was a 3.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vail Resorts

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Fairbanks Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Vail Resorts by 2.5% during the second quarter. Fairbanks Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,563 shares of the company's stock worth $462,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 150.9% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 138 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 20.9% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 486 shares of the company's stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Condor Capital Management boosted its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Condor Capital Management now owns 11,172 shares of the company's stock worth $2,013,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its holdings in Vail Resorts by 27.6% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 412 shares of the company's stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. 94.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.