Needham Investment Management LLC Grows Stake in Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN)

Needham Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN - Free Report) by 115.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,500 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,500 shares during the quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Vail Resorts worth $4,030,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Vail Resorts during the 4th quarter worth $80,669,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 42.1% during the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 976,468 shares of the company's stock worth $183,039,000 after acquiring an additional 289,484 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Vail Resorts during the 4th quarter worth $42,532,000. DnB Asset Management AS bought a new position in shares of Vail Resorts during the 4th quarter worth $33,286,000. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 402.1% during the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 186,356 shares of the company's stock worth $34,932,000 after acquiring an additional 149,237 shares during the period. 94.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MTN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Vail Resorts from $166.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Mizuho cut their target price on Vail Resorts from $227.00 to $215.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $152.00 target price on Vail Resorts in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Macquarie cut their target price on Vail Resorts from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Barclays restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $152.00 target price (down previously 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 assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Vail Resorts presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $187.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vail Resorts

In other news, CFO Angela A. Korch purchased 185 shares of Vail Resorts stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $160.00 per share, with a total value of $29,600.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $472,960. This trade represents a 6.68% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Vail Resorts Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MTN traded up $1.16 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $152.54. 408,474 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 578,526. The company has a market cap of $5.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.34, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.91. The business's fifty day moving average price is $148.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $165.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.64. Vail Resorts, Inc. has a 12-month low of $129.85 and a 12-month high of $204.92.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The company reported $6.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.29 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.14 billion. Vail Resorts had a return on equity of 21.90% and a net margin of 8.07%. Vail Resorts's revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.76 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vail Resorts, Inc. will post 7.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vail Resorts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 27th were given a $2.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 27th. This represents a $8.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.82%. Vail Resorts's payout ratio is currently 130.21%.

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.