Ariel Investments LLC Increases Stock Position in Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN)

Ariel Investments LLC increased its stake in Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN - Free Report) by 8.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 265,338 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 21,020 shares during the period. Ariel Investments LLC owned 0.71% of Vail Resorts worth $49,738,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts by 17.4% during the fourth quarter. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 4,168 shares of the company's stock valued at $781,000 after buying an additional 618 shares during the last quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Vail Resorts by 402.1% during the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 186,356 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,932,000 after purchasing an additional 149,237 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts by 24.0% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 331,027 shares of the company's stock worth $62,051,000 after purchasing an additional 64,079 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 42.1% in the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 976,468 shares of the company's stock worth $183,039,000 after purchasing an additional 289,484 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinebridge Investments L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts by 42.7% during the fourth quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. now owns 18,424 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,454,000 after purchasing an additional 5,511 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.94% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vail Resorts

In related news, CFO Angela A. Korch acquired 185 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $160.00 per share, with a total value of $29,600.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,956 shares in the company, valued at $472,960. This represents a 6.68 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $227.00 to $215.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $152.00 target price on shares of Vail Resorts in a report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Vail Resorts from $166.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $152.00 price target (down from $165.00) on shares of Vail Resorts in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Macquarie reduced their price objective on Vail Resorts from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vail Resorts has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $187.60.

Vail Resorts Stock Up 3.7 %

Shares of MTN stock traded up $5.15 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $144.59. 211,177 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 579,869. The stock's fifty day moving average is $149.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $166.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.64, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.51. Vail Resorts, Inc. has a 52-week low of $129.85 and a 52-week high of $206.38. The stock has a market cap of $5.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.91.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The company reported $6.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.29 by $0.27. Vail Resorts had a net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 21.90%. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $5.76 EPS. Vail Resorts's revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Vail Resorts, Inc. will post 7.62 EPS for the current year.

Vail Resorts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 27th were given a dividend of $2.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 27th. This represents a $8.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.14%. Vail Resorts's dividend payout ratio is presently 130.21%.

Vail Resorts 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.