Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) Shares Gap Up – Time to Buy?

Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $166.70, but opened at $171.00. Vail Resorts shares last traded at $172.83, with a volume of 222,911 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on MTN. StockNews.com upgraded Vail Resorts from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Vail Resorts from $185.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Vail Resorts in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $185.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Vail Resorts from $222.00 to $227.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Vail Resorts from $176.00 to $166.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $204.50.

Vail Resorts Price Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average price is $183.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $179.17. 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 has a market cap of $6.49 billion, a PE ratio of 28.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.12.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The company reported ($4.61) earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $260.28 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $251.45 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($4.60) EPS. Vail Resorts’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Vail Resorts, Inc. will post 7.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Vail Resorts Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a $2.22 dividend. This represents a $8.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.12%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Vail Resorts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 147.51%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vail Resorts

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. River Road Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 606.6% during 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 period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts in the third quarter worth approximately $35,264,000. FMR LLC grew its position in Vail Resorts by 1,080.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 207,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,219,000 after purchasing an additional 190,210 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Vail Resorts by 1,063.7% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Ceredex Value Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 period. 94.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.