Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) Sets New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $164.35 and last traded at $165.30, with a volume of 12724 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $165.87.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MTN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Vail Resorts from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $197.00 target price on shares of Vail Resorts in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $222.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Macquarie upped their price objective on shares of Vail Resorts from $180.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Vail Resorts from $216.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vail Resorts currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $204.50.

Vail Resorts Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $6.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.64. The company’s 50-day moving average is $180.88 and its 200-day moving average is $178.31.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last issued its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The company reported ($4.61) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($4.99) by $0.38. Vail Resorts had a return on equity of 21.90% and a net margin of 8.07%. The business had revenue of $260.28 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $251.45 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($4.60) EPS. Vail Resorts’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Vail Resorts, Inc. will post 7.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vail Resorts Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a $2.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $8.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.37%. Vail Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is presently 147.51%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vail Resorts

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MTN. Bamco Inc. NY grew its stake in Vail Resorts by 2.7% during the third quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 5,185,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $903,717,000 after buying an additional 136,328 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,202,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,348,000 after acquiring an additional 47,417 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Vail Resorts by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 686,984 shares of the company’s stock worth $119,734,000 after acquiring an additional 51,438 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Vail Resorts by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 649,624 shares of the company’s stock valued at $113,252,000 after purchasing an additional 8,422 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Pacific Advisors LP raised its position in Vail Resorts by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP now owns 522,285 shares of the company’s stock valued at $97,902,000 after purchasing an additional 57,484 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.94% of the company’s stock.

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.