HighTower Advisors LLC Has $59.77 Million Position in Vail Resorts, Inc. $MTN

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC dramatically increased its Vail Resorts stake in Q4, adding 447,146 shares to reach 450,066 shares worth about $59.8 million and representing 1.26% of the company.
• Insider buying was notable: CEO Robert A. Katz bought 37,500 shares for nearly $4.94 million, while CFO Angela A. Korch also purchased shares, signaling confidence from management.
• Vail Resorts reported mixed quarterly results, missing EPS and revenue estimates, while analysts remain cautious overall with an average Hold rating and a consensus price target of $161.82.

HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN - Free Report) by 15,313.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 450,066 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 447,146 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC owned 1.26% of Vail Resorts worth $59,769,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bamco Inc. NY grew its holdings in Vail Resorts by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 5,702,692 shares of the company's stock worth $852,952,000 after acquiring an additional 227,143 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in Vail Resorts by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 5,002,662 shares of the company's stock worth $748,248,000 after acquiring an additional 74,528 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in Vail Resorts by 67.0% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,013,463 shares of the company's stock worth $450,724,000 after acquiring an additional 1,208,874 shares during the period. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in Vail Resorts by 22.4% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 713,531 shares of the company's stock worth $106,723,000 after acquiring an additional 130,460 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Vail Resorts by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 601,308 shares of the company's stock worth $89,931,000 after acquiring an additional 34,941 shares during the period. 94.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Vail Resorts news, CEO Robert A. Katz purchased 37,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $131.81 per share, with a total value of $4,942,875.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 285,312 shares in the company, valued at $37,606,974.72. The trade was a 15.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Angela A. Korch purchased 190 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $131.85 per share, for a total transaction of $25,051.50. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 5,539 shares in the company, valued at $730,317.15. This represents a 3.55% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on MTN shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Vail Resorts from $151.00 to $147.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 12th. BNP Paribas Exane reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Vail Resorts in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Vail Resorts from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research downgraded Vail Resorts from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on Vail Resorts from $217.00 to $212.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $161.82.

Vail Resorts Stock Performance

Shares of MTN opened at $126.47 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.43, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $128.59 and a 200-day moving average of $136.57. The company has a market cap of $4.51 billion, a PE ratio of 20.63, a P/E/G ratio of 10.44 and a beta of 0.70. Vail Resorts, Inc. has a one year low of $118.51 and a one year high of $175.51.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, March 9th. The company reported $5.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.06 by ($0.19). The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. Vail Resorts had a net margin of 7.89% and a return on equity of 29.72%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.56 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vail Resorts, Inc. will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vail Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 26th were paid a $2.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 26th. This represents a $8.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.0%. Vail Resorts's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 144.86%.

Vail Resorts Company Profile

Vail Resorts, Inc is a leading mountain resort company that owns and operates an integrated network of ski areas, hotels, restaurants and retail outlets. The company's signature Epic Pass program offers skiers and snowboarders season‐long access to its portfolio of resorts, while ancillary services such as ski and snowboard schools, equipment rental and retail drive additional revenue.

Headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, Vail Resorts was formed in 1997, building on the legacy of Vail Associates, which opened the Vail ski area in 1962.

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