Short Interest in Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) Decreases By 14.5%

Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,060,000 shares, a decline of 14.5% from the February 28th total of 2,410,000 shares. Currently, 5.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 610,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.4 days.

Vail Resorts Price Performance

Shares of Vail Resorts stock opened at $162.51 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $162.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $173.74. Vail Resorts has a 12-month low of $151.99 and a 12-month high of $233.57. The firm has a market cap of $6.07 billion, a PE ratio of 27.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.64.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last posted its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The company reported $6.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.29 by $0.27. Vail Resorts had a return on equity of 21.90% and a net margin of 8.07%. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.14 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.76 earnings per share. Vail Resorts’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Vail Resorts will post 7.62 EPS for the current year.

Vail Resorts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 27th will be paid a dividend of $2.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 27th. This represents a $8.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.46%. Vail Resorts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 130.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vail Resorts

In other news, CFO Angela A. Korch purchased 185 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $160.00 per share, for a total transaction of $29,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,960. This trade represents a 6.68 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vail Resorts

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Vail Resorts during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 246.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vail Resorts during the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. GeoWealth Management LLC raised its stake in Vail Resorts by 162.2% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 291 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Vail Resorts by 37.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 302 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.94% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Vail Resorts from $216.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $166.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Vail Resorts from $197.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Vail Resorts from $185.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Macquarie lowered their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $193.56.

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.