Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) Shares Down 3.9% - Here's What Happened

Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN - Get Free Report)'s stock price was down 3.9% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $179.28 and last traded at $180.10. Approximately 93,535 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 529,708 shares. The stock had previously closed at $187.45.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MTN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $197.00 target price on shares of Vail Resorts in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Macquarie increased their price target on Vail Resorts from $180.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vail Resorts from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Vail Resorts in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $185.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Vail Resorts from $222.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $205.50.

Vail Resorts Stock Down 6.6 %

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $181.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $179.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.64, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.63. The company has a market cap of $6.56 billion, a PE ratio of 29.10, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.14.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The company reported ($4.61) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($4.99) by $0.38. The firm had revenue of $260.28 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $251.45 million. Vail Resorts had a net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 21.90%. Vail Resorts's revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($4.60) earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Vail Resorts, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current year.

Vail Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th will be issued a $2.22 dividend. This represents a $8.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.07%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 26th. Vail Resorts's payout ratio is currently 147.51%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vail Resorts

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MTN. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts by 673.1% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 635,546 shares of the company's stock worth $114,481,000 after purchasing an additional 553,337 shares during the period. First Pacific Advisors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts in the second quarter worth $62,466,000. River Road Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 606.6% in the third quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 341,311 shares of the company's stock worth $59,487,000 after acquiring an additional 293,006 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Vail Resorts in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,264,000. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts by 1,080.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 207,809 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,219,000 after acquiring an additional 190,210 shares in the last quarter. 94.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.