Q3 EPS Estimates for Vail Resorts Lowered by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research"Strong Sell", while trimming multiple FY2026–FY2028 forecasts.
• Vail's latest quarter missed expectations (EPS $5.87 vs. $6.06 estimate; revenue $1.08B vs. $1.11B), and analysts are mixed — the MarketBeat consensus is a Hold with an average price target of $161.82 amid several recent target cuts.
• The company recently paid a quarterly dividend of $2.22 ($8.88 annualized) yielding 7.0% but with a 144.86% payout ratio, and faces a New Hampshire investigation over applying sales tax to Epic Passes that could create reputational or remediation costs.

Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q3 2028 EPS estimates for Vail Resorts in a research report issued on Wednesday, April 29th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $10.63 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $11.30. Zacks Research has a "Strong Sell" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Vail Resorts' current full-year earnings is $4.79 per share.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, March 9th. The company reported $5.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.06 by ($0.19). Vail Resorts had a return on equity of 29.72% and a net margin of 7.89%.The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $6.56 EPS. Vail Resorts's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Vail Resorts from $172.00 to $156.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Weiss Ratings cut Vail Resorts from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Vail Resorts from $159.00 to $151.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 6th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Vail Resorts from $217.00 to $212.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Vail Resorts from $140.00 to $138.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vail Resorts has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $161.82.

Vail Resorts Stock Up 0.3%

MTN opened at $126.20 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $132.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.43. The company has a market cap of $4.50 billion, a PE ratio of 20.59, a P/E/G ratio of 10.63 and a beta of 0.70. Vail Resorts has a 52 week low of $118.51 and a 52 week high of $175.51.

Vail Resorts Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Vail Resorts

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vail Resorts

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 67.0% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,013,463 shares of the company's stock valued at $450,724,000 after purchasing an additional 1,208,874 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in Vail Resorts by 15,313.2% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 450,066 shares of the company's stock worth $59,769,000 after buying an additional 447,146 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Vail Resorts during the fourth quarter worth about $41,106,000. Bamco Inc. NY increased its holdings in Vail Resorts by 4.1% in the third quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 5,702,692 shares of the company's stock valued at $852,952,000 after buying an additional 227,143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp purchased a new position in Vail Resorts in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,521,000. 94.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Vail Resorts

Here are the key news stories impacting Vail Resorts this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vail announced its summer operations schedule, which supports off‑season revenue diversification and helps offset winter volatility. Vail Resorts announces summer operations schedule
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks trimmed a few near-term quarter forecasts modestly (e.g., Q2 2028 and Q3 2026 cuts), reflecting small downward adjustments rather than large surprises; these changes alone are incremental. Zacks Research
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded MTN to a "Strong Sell" and repeatedly lowered EPS estimates across FY2026–FY2028 and multiple quarters — cuts include sizeable downgrades to FY2027 and FY2028 consensus targets — creating downward pressure on the stock. Zacks.com
• Negative Sentiment: New Hampshire officials are investigating Vail over the application of sales tax to Epic Pass purchases; the policy change has drawn public and political backlash, which could lead to reputational, legal or remediation costs and complicate pass sales strategies. Vail Resorts add sales tax to Epic Pass purchases New Hampshire Investigating Vail Resorts for “Not So Epic” Sales Tax

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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