Ariel Investments LLC Has $19.85 Million Stock Holdings in Vail Resorts, Inc. $MTN

Key Points

• Ariel Investments LLC reduced its stake in Vail Resorts, Inc. by 53.2%, selling 141,289 shares and leaving it with about 0.33% of the company valued at $19.85 million.
• Vail Resorts reported $10.54 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, while its revenue grew 1.0% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $2.22 per share, representing an annual yield of 5.5%, with a current payout ratio of 113.55%.

Ariel Investments LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN - Free Report) by 53.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 124,049 shares of the company's stock after selling 141,289 shares during the period. Ariel Investments LLC owned approximately 0.33% of Vail Resorts worth $19,850,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MTN. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 0.4% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,654,081 shares of the company's stock worth $264,686,000 after purchasing an additional 5,788 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 7.2% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,288,911 shares of the company's stock valued at $206,252,000 after purchasing an additional 86,735 shares during the period. TPG GP A LLC raised its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 19.9% in the fourth quarter. TPG GP A LLC now owns 1,036,487 shares of the company's stock valued at $194,289,000 after purchasing an additional 172,082 shares during the period. First Pacific Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 54.2% in the first quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP now owns 805,584 shares of the company's stock worth $128,910,000 after acquiring an additional 283,299 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 170.1% in the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 546,423 shares of the company's stock worth $102,427,000 after acquiring an additional 344,095 shares during the last quarter. 94.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vail Resorts Stock Performance

NYSE MTN traded down $0.88 on Friday, reaching $157.92. The stock had a trading volume of 390,308 shares, compared to its average volume of 452,452. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $158.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $153.83. Vail Resorts, Inc. has a 1-year low of $129.85 and a 1-year high of $199.45. The company has a market cap of $5.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.87.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 5th. The company reported $10.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $10.00 by $0.54. Vail Resorts had a return on equity of 30.25% and a net margin of 9.81%.The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.54 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Vail Resorts, Inc. will post 7.62 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Vail Resorts

In related news, CFO Angela A. Korch purchased 200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $157.00 per share, for a total transaction of $31,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 3,156 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $495,492. This trade represents a 6.77% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MTN shares. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Vail Resorts from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Vail Resorts from $215.00 to $216.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Vail Resorts from $185.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 11th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating on shares of Vail Resorts in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Vail Resorts from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $167.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $187.20.

About Vail Resorts

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.