Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) Short Interest Update

Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 4,946,048 shares, an increase of 18.0% from the February 12th total of 4,192,562 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 856,691 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.8 days. Currently, 14.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Currently, 14.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 856,691 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.8 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MTN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Vail Resorts from $172.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Vail Resorts from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Vail Resorts from $151.00 to $147.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Vail Resorts from $202.00 to $200.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $169.00 target price on shares of Vail Resorts in a report on Friday, January 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.00.

Key Headlines Impacting Vail Resorts

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

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Robert A. Katz purchased 37,500 shares (~$4.94M), a sizable open‑market buy that increases his holding ~15% and is being read by the market as a strong signal of insider confidence. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: CFO Angela Korch also bought shares (190 shares, ~$25k), a smaller but confirmatory insider purchase that adds to the narrative of management conviction. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Vail announced a multi‑year roll‑out to bring the My Epic Gear experience to all rentals (expanded choice, premium boot tech, and removal of the My Epic Gear fee), a consumer-facing initiative that should support rental revenue and customer retention over time. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: The analyst picture is mixed — MarketBeat consensus rates MTN as a Hold with a $165 average target and a range of Buy/Hold/Sell opinions — providing a neutral backdrop versus the immediate insider-driven move. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent Q3 results showed an EPS and revenue miss and year‑over‑year revenue decline, reinforcing concerns about a warm winter’s impact on near‑term profitability. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target and materially lowered 2026 EPS estimates citing weak conditions in the Rockies, a proximate reason some investors remain cautious despite insider buys. Read More.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of Vail Resorts

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MTN. World Investment Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts during the third quarter worth about $1,118,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 376.3% in the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 16,584 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,553,000 after buying an additional 13,102 shares during the last quarter. Blume Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 317.0% during the third quarter. Blume Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,703 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,451,000 after buying an additional 7,376 shares during the period. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 11.4% during the third quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 115,724 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,309,000 after buying an additional 11,809 shares during the period. Finally, Confluence Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vail Resorts during the third quarter worth approximately $8,160,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.90% of the company’s stock.

Vail Resorts Price Performance

Shares of Vail Resorts stock traded up $11.82 on Tuesday, hitting $144.26. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,444,187 shares, compared to its average volume of 948,323. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average price of $137.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $143.93. Vail Resorts has a 52-week low of $126.15 and a 52-week high of $175.51. The company has a market capitalization of $5.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.12 and a beta of 0.78.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last announced its earnings results on Monday, March 9th. The company reported $5.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 in the previous year, the firm posted $6.56 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Vail Resorts will post 7.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vail Resorts Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 26th will be given a dividend of $2.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 26th. This represents a $8.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.2%. Vail Resorts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 144.86%.

About Vail Resorts

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.