Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Reduces Position in Vail Resorts, Inc. $MTN

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank trimmed its holdings in Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) by 30.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,578 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,992 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Vail Resorts were worth $1,538,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its holdings in Vail Resorts by 376.3% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 16,584 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,553,000 after acquiring an additional 13,102 shares during the last quarter. Blume Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts by 317.0% during the 3rd quarter. Blume Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,703 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,451,000 after purchasing an additional 7,376 shares during the last quarter. Eldred Rock Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vail Resorts during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $13,562,000. Kazazian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,296,000. Finally, CenterBook Partners LP grew its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 423.9% in the third quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 18,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,703,000 after purchasing an additional 14,624 shares in the last quarter. 94.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MTN has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Vail Resorts in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $135.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Vail Resorts from $159.00 to $151.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on 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. Wall Street Zen lowered Vail Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Vail Resorts in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vail Resorts has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $161.82.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Robert A. Katz acquired 37,500 shares of Vail Resorts stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $131.81 per share, for a total transaction of $4,942,875.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 285,312 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,606,974.72. This represents a 15.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Angela A. Korch bought 190 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $131.85 per share, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 3.55% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Vail Resorts Stock Up 5.0%

MTN stock opened at $126.50 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $4.51 billion, a PE ratio of 20.64, a PEG ratio of 9.76 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.43, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.62. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $132.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $139.27. Vail Resorts, Inc. has a one year low of $118.51 and a one year high of $175.51.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. Vail Resorts had a return on equity of 29.72% and a net margin of 7.89%.The company’s revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.56 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Vail Resorts, Inc. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Vail Resorts Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 26th were paid a $2.22 dividend. This represents a $8.88 annualized dividend 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%.

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.