Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 1,700,000 shares, a decrease of 18.3% from the September 15th total of 2,080,000 shares. Currently, 4.7% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 463,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.7 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Vail Resorts from $223.00 to $216.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Vail Resorts from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $218.00 to $194.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Barclays dropped their price objective 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, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Vail Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $208.22.

Insider Transactions at Vail Resorts

In related news, insider Robert A. Katz sold 9,296 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 245,961 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,284,216.78. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Robert A. Katz sold 9,296 shares of Vail Resorts 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 245,961 shares in the company, valued at $43,284,216.78. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Angela A. Korch acquired 165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 3rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $173.09 per share, with a total value of $28,559.85. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $378,547.83. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vail Resorts

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 150.9% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 138 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Vail Resorts in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its holdings in Vail Resorts by 318.8% during the second quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 201 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Vail Resorts by 123.5% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 219 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canton Hathaway LLC grew its holdings in Vail Resorts by 66.7% in the second quarter. Canton Hathaway LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.94% of the company’s stock.

Vail Resorts Stock Performance

NYSE MTN traded down $2.32 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $171.01. 585,485 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 531,436. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. The company has a market cap of $6.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.13. Vail Resorts has a 12-month low of $165.14 and a 12-month high of $236.92. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $178.02 and a 200 day moving average of $187.35.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 26th. The company reported ($4.67) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($4.28) by ($0.39). Vail Resorts had a net margin of 7.99% and a return on equity of 20.76%. The business had revenue of $265.39 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $264.84 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($3.35) earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Vail Resorts will post 7.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Vail Resorts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 8th will be issued a $2.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 8th. This represents a $8.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.19%. Vail Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is presently 120.82%.

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.