Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) Downgraded to “Strong Sell” Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research lowered shares of Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report published on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Vail Resorts’ Q3 2026 earnings at $9.17 EPS and Q2 2028 earnings at $6.86 EPS.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the stock. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Vail Resorts from $169.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Vail Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $159.00 to $165.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Vail Resorts from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Vail Resorts from $175.00 to $172.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Vail Resorts in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $135.00 target price on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $161.82.

Vail Resorts Trading Up 3.4%

Shares of NYSE:MTN traded up $4.11 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $126.27. The stock had a trading volume of 231,804 shares, compared to its average volume of 887,345. The firm has a market cap of $4.50 billion, a PE ratio of 20.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.76 and a beta of 0.79. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $132.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.43. Vail Resorts has a twelve month low of $118.51 and a twelve month high of $175.51.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 9th. The company reported $5.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.06 by ($0.19). The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. Vail Resorts had a net margin of 7.89% and a return on equity of 29.72%. The business’s revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.56 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Vail Resorts will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vail Resorts Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 26th were paid a $2.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 26th. This represents a $8.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.0%. Vail Resorts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 144.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vail Resorts

In other news, CEO Robert A. Katz bought 37,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $131.81 per share, with a total value of $4,942,875.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 285,312 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,606,974.72. This represents a 15.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Angela A. Korch bought 190 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $131.85 per share, with a total value of $25,051.50. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vail Resorts

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MTN. BOKF NA increased its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts by 833.3% in the third quarter. BOKF NA now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. NBT Bank N A NY increased its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts by 450.0% in the third quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts by 815.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts by 83.3% in the fourth quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 220 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in shares of Vail Resorts in the third quarter valued at $30,000. 94.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.