Contrasting Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) and Avolta (OTCMKTS:DUFRY)

Avolta (OTCMKTS:DUFRY) and Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) are both mid-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, profitability, risk, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Risk and Volatility

Avolta has a beta of 1.1, indicating that its share price is 10% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Vail Resorts has a beta of 0.81, indicating that its share price is 19% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

94.9% of Vail Resorts shares are held by institutional investors. 1.2% of Vail Resorts shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Avolta and Vail Resorts”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Avolta	$15.33 billion	0.57	$117.00 million	N/A	N/A
Vail Resorts	$2.96 billion	1.66	$280.00 million	$6.82	20.18

Vail Resorts has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Avolta.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Avolta and Vail Resorts, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Avolta	0	1	0	1	3.00
Vail Resorts	1	8	3	0	2.17

Vail Resorts has a consensus price target of $176.00, suggesting a potential upside of 27.90%. Given Vail Resorts’ higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Vail Resorts is more favorable than Avolta.

Profitability

This table compares Avolta and Vail Resorts’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Avolta	N/A	N/A	N/A
Vail Resorts	8.94%	32.51%	4.66%

Summary

Vail Resorts beats Avolta on 9 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Avolta

Avolta AG operates as a travel retailer. The company’s retail brands include general travel retail shops under the Dufry, World Duty Free, Nuance, Hellenic Duty Free, Zurich Duty-Free or Stockholm Duty-Free, Autogrill, and HMSHost brands; Dufry shopping stores; brand boutiques; convenience stores primarily under the Hudson brand; and specialized shops and theme stores. It offers perfumes and cosmetics, food and confectionery, wines and spirits, watches and jewelry, fashion and leather, tobacco goods, souvenirs, electronics, soft drinks, packaged food, travel accessories, personal items, sunglasses, destination, and other products, as well as newspapers, magazines, and books. It operates duty-free and duty-paid shops located at airports, border, downtown and hotel shops, railway stations and other, cruise liners and ferries, seaports, and motorways in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific. The company was formerly known as Dufry AG and changed its name to Avolta AG in November 2023. Avolta AG was incorporated in 1865 and is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland.

About Vail Resorts

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. The Lodging segment owns and/or manages various luxury hotels and condominiums under the RockResorts brand; other lodging properties; various condominiums located in proximity to the company's mountain resorts; destination resorts; and golf courses, as well as offers resort ground transportation services. This segment operates owned and managed hotel and condominium units. The Real Estate segment owns, develops, and sells real estate properties. The company was founded in 1845 and is based in Broomfield, Colorado.