Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) Short Interest Up 18.0% in February

Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 4,946,048 shares, a growth of 18.0% from the February 12th total of 4,192,562 shares. Approximately 14.0% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 856,691 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.8 days. Based on an average trading volume of 856,691 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.8 days. Approximately 14.0% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MTN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Vail Resorts from $159.00 to $151.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vail Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Vail Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $159.00 to $165.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Vail Resorts from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $169.00 target price on shares of Vail Resorts in a report on Friday, January 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vail Resorts currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vail Resorts

In other Vail Resorts news, CEO Robert A. Katz acquired 37,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $131.81 per share, for a total transaction of $4,942,875.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 285,312 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,606,974.72. This trade represents a 15.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Angela A. Korch bought 190 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $131.85 per share, with a total value of $25,051.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 5,539 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $730,317.15. The trade was a 3.55% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BOKF NA increased its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 833.3% in the third quarter. BOKF NA now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. NBT Bank N A NY lifted its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts by 450.0% during the 3rd quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Vail Resorts by 815.8% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Vail Resorts by 196.8% during the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 187 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Vail Resorts by 83.3% in the 4th quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 220 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 94.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vail Resorts Trading Down 4.7%

MTN stock traded down $6.77 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $137.62. 649,400 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 897,754. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $137.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $143.93. Vail Resorts has a 52-week low of $126.15 and a 52-week high of $175.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.43, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.92 billion, a PE ratio of 22.47, a P/E/G ratio of 9.12 and a beta of 0.78.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 9th. The company reported $5.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.06 by ($0.19). The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. Vail Resorts had a return on equity of 29.72% and a net margin of 7.89%.The business’s revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.56 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Vail Resorts will post 7.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Vail Resorts Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 26th will be issued a $2.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 26th. This represents a $8.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.5%. Vail Resorts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 144.86%.

Vail Resorts Company Profile

Vail Resorts, Inc is a leading mountain resort company that owns and operates an integrated network of ski areas, hotels, restaurants and retail outlets. The company’s signature Epic Pass program offers skiers and snowboarders season‐long access to its portfolio of resorts, while ancillary services such as ski and snowboard schools, equipment rental and retail drive additional revenue.

Headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, Vail Resorts was formed in 1997, building on the legacy of Vail Associates, which opened the Vail ski area in 1962.