Principal Financial Group Inc. Acquires 5,788 Shares of Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN)

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN - Free Report) by 0.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,654,081 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,788 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 4.43% of Vail Resorts worth $264,686,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bamco Inc. NY grew its holdings in Vail Resorts by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 5,290,546 shares of the company's stock worth $991,713,000 after buying an additional 105,410 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Vail Resorts by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,716,657 shares of the company's stock valued at $696,687,000 after buying an additional 25,916 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,202,176 shares of the company's stock worth $225,348,000 after buying an additional 47,417 shares in the last quarter. TPG GP A LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 19.9% in the 4th quarter. TPG GP A LLC now owns 1,036,487 shares of the company's stock worth $194,289,000 after acquiring an additional 172,082 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings 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 valued at $183,039,000 after acquiring an additional 289,484 shares in the last quarter. 94.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vail Resorts Stock Down 0.3%

MTN traded down $0.46 during trading on Friday, reaching $164.02. 429,266 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 593,771. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $151.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $159.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.54. Vail Resorts, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $129.85 and a fifty-two week high of $199.45. The stock has a market cap of $6.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.91.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 5th. The company reported $10.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.00 by $0.54. The business had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.31 billion. Vail Resorts had a return on equity of 30.25% and a net margin of 9.81%. The firm's revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.54 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect 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 will be paid on Wednesday, July 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 24th will be paid a $2.22 dividend. This represents a $8.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 24th. Vail Resorts's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 113.55%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Vail Resorts from $183.00 to $171.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Barclays restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $152.00 price target (down previously from $165.00) on shares of Vail Resorts in a research report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Vail Resorts from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $167.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Macquarie cut their price objective on Vail Resorts from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Vail Resorts from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $187.20.

Insider Transactions at Vail Resorts

In other Vail Resorts news, CFO Angela A. Korch purchased 200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $157.00 per share, for a total transaction of $31,400.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 3,156 shares of the company's stock, valued at $495,492. This trade represents a 6.77% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.