Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Increases Stake in Vail Resorts, Inc. $MTN

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management sharply increased its Vail Resorts stake by 945% in the fourth quarter, ending with 20,963 shares valued at about $2.78 million. Institutional ownership remains very high, with hedge funds and other investors holding about 94.9% of the stock.
• Vail Resorts missed quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $5.87 EPS versus the $6.06 consensus and revenue of $1.08 billion versus $1.11 billion expected. Revenue fell 4.7% year over year, even though the company maintained a net margin of 7.89% and ROE of 29.72%.
• The company paid a quarterly dividend of $2.22 per share, equal to an annualized yield of 6.9%, though the payout ratio is high at 144.86%. Analysts currently rate the stock a consensus “Hold,” with a target price of $161.82.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN - Free Report) by 945.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,963 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 18,957 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned 0.06% of Vail Resorts worth $2,784,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BOKF NA increased its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 833.3% in the third quarter. BOKF NA now owns 168 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 815.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 174 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Employees Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts in the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 94.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vail Resorts Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Vail Resorts stock opened at $127.81 on Tuesday. 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's 50 day simple moving average is $128.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $136.17. The stock has a market cap of $4.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.85, a P/E/G ratio of 10.78 and a beta of 0.70. Vail Resorts, Inc. has a 1-year low of $118.51 and a 1-year high of $175.51.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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). Vail Resorts had a net margin of 7.89% and a return on equity of 29.72%. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.56 EPS. Vail Resorts's revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Vail Resorts, Inc. will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vail Resorts Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 26th were issued a dividend of $2.22 per share. This represents a $8.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 26th. Vail Resorts's payout ratio is currently 144.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on MTN. Weiss Ratings cut Vail Resorts from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Mizuho cut their price objective on Vail Resorts from $202.00 to $200.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Zacks Research cut Vail Resorts from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Vail Resorts from $169.00 to $139.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Vail Resorts in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $135.00 price objective for the company. Five equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $161.82.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vail Resorts

In other news, CFO Angela A. Korch purchased 190 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $131.85 per share, with a total value of $25,051.50. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 5,539 shares in the company, valued at $730,317.15. The trade was a 3.55% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert A. Katz purchased 37,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $131.81 per share, for a total transaction of $4,942,875.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 285,312 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,606,974.72. The trade was a 15.13% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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