Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) Raised to Neutral at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $167.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target indicates a potential upside of 4.19% from the stock's current price.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. Macquarie lowered their price objective on Vail Resorts from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $152.00 price target on Vail Resorts in a report on Friday, April 25th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Vail Resorts from $227.00 to $215.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and issued a $152.00 price objective (down previously from $165.00) on shares of Vail Resorts in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Vail Resorts from $185.00 to $160.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Vail Resorts has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $189.10.

Vail Resorts Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of MTN stock traded down $2.18 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $160.29. 617,156 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 575,074. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.64, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.63. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $146.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $164.34. The company has a market capitalization of $5.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.91. Vail Resorts has a fifty-two week low of $129.85 and a fifty-two week high of $199.45.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vail Resorts news, CFO Angela A. Korch acquired 185 shares of Vail Resorts stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $160.00 per share, for a total transaction of $29,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 2,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $472,960. This represents a 6.68% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Vail Resorts

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 881 shares of the company's stock worth $165,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Accretive Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Vail Resorts by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Accretive Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,294 shares of the company's stock valued at $992,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Vail Resorts by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,478 shares of the company's stock valued at $277,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. State of Michigan Retirement System raised its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 9,000 shares of the company's stock worth $1,440,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 10,500 shares of the company's stock worth $1,680,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. 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.