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

Ariel Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN - Free Report) by 8.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 265,338 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 21,020 shares during the period. Ariel Investments LLC owned approximately 0.71% of Vail Resorts worth $49,738,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC grew its stake in Vail Resorts by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 2,121 shares of the company's stock worth $398,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Vail Resorts by 20.6% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 393 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 881 shares of the company's stock worth $165,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Accretive Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Accretive Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,294 shares of the company's stock valued at $992,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 37.9% in the 4th 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 last quarter. 94.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Angela A. Korch acquired 185 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $160.00 per share, with a total value of $29,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $472,960. This represents a 6.68 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Vail Resorts Stock Performance

NYSE MTN traded down $2.78 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $137.41. The company's stock had a trading volume of 373,021 shares, compared to its average volume of 582,988. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $149.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $167.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.64, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The company has a market cap of $5.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.91. Vail Resorts, Inc. has a 12 month low of $129.85 and a 12 month high of $206.38.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion. Vail Resorts had a net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 21.90%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.76 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vail Resorts, Inc. will post 7.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vail Resorts Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 27th were issued a dividend of $2.22 per share. This represents a $8.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.46%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 27th. Vail Resorts's dividend payout ratio is presently 130.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MTN has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $185.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $227.00 to $215.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Macquarie dropped their price objective on Vail Resorts from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $152.00 price target on Vail Resorts in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Barclays restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $152.00 price objective (down from $165.00) on shares of Vail Resorts in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $187.60.

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.