Cerity Partners LLC Boosts Stock Position in Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN)

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,537 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,162 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Vail Resorts were worth $2,011,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,154,759 shares of the company’s stock worth $201,263,000 after acquiring an additional 40,643 shares during the last quarter. TPG GP A LLC raised its stake in Vail Resorts by 17.4% during the second quarter. TPG GP A LLC now owns 899,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $162,017,000 after purchasing an additional 133,607 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in Vail Resorts by 673.1% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 635,546 shares of the company’s stock valued at $114,481,000 after purchasing an additional 553,337 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Vail Resorts by 36.3% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 356,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,195,000 after acquiring an additional 94,923 shares during the period. Finally, First Pacific Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Vail Resorts in the 2nd quarter valued at about $62,466,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.94% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vail Resorts news, CFO Angela A. Korch bought 165 shares of Vail Resorts stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $173.09 per share, with a total value of $28,559.85. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 2,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $378,547.83. This represents a 8.16 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert A. Katz sold 9,296 shares of Vail Resorts stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.98, for a total value of $1,635,910.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 245,961 shares in the company, valued at $43,284,216.78. This trade represents a 3.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on MTN. UBS Group initiated coverage on Vail Resorts in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $185.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Vail Resorts from $218.00 to $194.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $179.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. StockNews.com cut shares of Vail Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Macquarie reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Vail Resorts in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vail Resorts has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $205.90.

Vail Resorts Stock Down 1.7 %

MTN stock opened at $179.24 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $6.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.72, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. Vail Resorts, Inc. has a twelve month low of $165.00 and a twelve month high of $236.92. The company’s 50 day moving average is $175.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $179.33.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 26th. The company reported ($4.67) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($4.28) by ($0.39). The company had revenue of $265.39 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $264.84 million. Vail Resorts had a net margin of 7.99% and a return on equity of 20.76%. Vail Resorts’s revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($3.35) earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Vail Resorts, Inc. will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vail Resorts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 8th were issued a $2.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 8th. This represents a $8.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.95%. Vail Resorts’s payout ratio is 147.26%.

Vail Resorts Profile

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.