Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold” Rating

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Monday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on MTN. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Vail Resorts in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $185.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Vail Resorts from $223.00 to $216.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 27th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Vail Resorts from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $161.00 to $155.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Macquarie restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Vail Resorts in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vail Resorts presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $205.90.

Vail Resorts Price Performance

MTN stock traded down $2.38 on Monday, reaching $176.86. The company had a trading volume of 642,782 shares, compared to its average volume of 520,957. The company’s fifty day moving average is $175.40 and its 200 day moving average is $179.17. The company has a market cap of $6.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.33, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.82. Vail Resorts has a 1 year low of $165.00 and a 1 year high of $236.92.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 26th. The company reported ($4.67) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($4.28) by ($0.39). The company had revenue of $265.39 million during 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%. The firm’s revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($3.35) earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Vail Resorts will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Vail Resorts 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 transaction of $1,635,910.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 245,961 shares in the company, valued at $43,284,216.78. The trade was a 3.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director John F. Sorte sold 1,670 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.07, for a total transaction of $289,026.90. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 45,111 shares in the company, valued at $7,807,360.77. This trade represents a 3.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in Vail Resorts by 150.9% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 138 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its position in Vail Resorts by 318.8% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Vail Resorts by 123.5% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 219 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. 94.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.