Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 37,543 Shares of Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN)

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its holdings in Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,655,436 shares of the company’s stock after selling 37,543 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 4.42% of Vail Resorts worth $288,526,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in Vail Resorts by 673.1% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 635,546 shares of the company’s stock valued at $114,481,000 after acquiring an additional 553,337 shares during the period. First Pacific Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts during the second quarter valued at approximately $62,466,000. River Road Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts by 606.6% in the third quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 341,311 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,487,000 after purchasing an additional 293,006 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 1,063.7% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 177,033 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,767,000 after buying an additional 161,820 shares during the period. Finally, Ceredex Value Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Vail Resorts by 186.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 245,318 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,756,000 after buying an additional 159,600 shares during the last quarter. 94.94% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Angela A. Korch purchased 165 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $173.09 per share, with a total value of $28,559.85. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,187 shares in the company, valued at $378,547.83. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CFO Angela A. Korch purchased 165 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,187 shares in the company, valued at $378,547.83. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director John F. Sorte sold 1,670 shares of the business’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 transaction of $289,026.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 45,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,807,360.77. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MTN shares. Macquarie reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Vail Resorts in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on Vail Resorts from $218.00 to $194.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Vail Resorts from $223.00 to $216.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 27th. Barclays reduced their target price on 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, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Vail Resorts from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $208.22.

Vail Resorts Stock Performance

Shares of MTN stock opened at $174.45 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $176.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $181.43. The stock has a market cap of $6.54 billion, a PE ratio of 28.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.13. Vail Resorts, Inc. has a 12 month low of $165.00 and a 12 month high of $236.92.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 26th. The company reported ($4.67) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($4.28) by ($0.39). Vail Resorts had a return on equity of 20.76% and a net margin of 7.99%. The business had revenue of $265.39 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $264.84 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($3.35) EPS. Vail Resorts’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Vail Resorts, Inc. will post 7.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vail Resorts Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 8th were paid a dividend of $2.22 per share. This represents a $8.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 8th. Vail Resorts’s payout ratio is 147.26%.

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.