Vail Resorts, Inc. $MTN Shares Sold by Heartland Advisors Inc.

Heartland Advisors Inc. decreased its stake in Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) by 42.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,591 shares of the company’s stock after selling 26,957 shares during the period. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned 0.10% of Vail Resorts worth $5,473,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MTN. GRS Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vail Resorts in the second quarter valued at $71,753,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Vail Resorts during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $51,685,000. Bamco Inc. NY increased its position in Vail Resorts by 3.6% during the second quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 5,475,549 shares of the company’s stock worth $860,373,000 after buying an additional 191,327 shares during the period. First Pacific Advisors LP increased its position in Vail Resorts by 23.4% during the second quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP now owns 993,735 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,146,000 after buying an additional 188,151 shares during the period. Finally, Aperture Investors LLC purchased a new stake in Vail Resorts in the second quarter valued at approximately $22,886,000. 94.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vail Resorts Price Performance

Shares of MTN opened at $137.54 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.52. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $140.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $146.29. Vail Resorts, Inc. has a twelve month low of $126.15 and a twelve month high of $175.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.92 billion, a PE ratio of 20.17, a P/E/G ratio of 8.15 and a beta of 0.81.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 10th. The company reported ($5.20) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($5.23) by $0.03. Vail Resorts had a return on equity of 32.51% and a net margin of 8.94%.The business had revenue of $271.03 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $273.35 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($4.61) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Vail Resorts, Inc. will post 7.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Vail Resorts Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 30th were paid a dividend of $2.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 30th. This represents a $8.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.5%. Vail Resorts’s dividend payout ratio is 130.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MTN. 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 research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Vail Resorts from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Vail Resorts in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $150.00 price target on Vail Resorts in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $156.00 price objective on shares of Vail Resorts in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vail Resorts presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $173.27.

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.