Vail Resorts Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:MTN)

Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) saw unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock traders acquired 5,276 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 278% compared to the average volume of 1,396 call options.

Insider Transactions at Vail Resorts

In related news, CFO Angela A. Korch bought 210 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $155.00 per share, with a total value of $32,550.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 4,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $760,275. The trade was a 4.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of Vail Resorts by 67.0% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,013,463 shares of the company’s stock valued at $450,724,000 after buying an additional 1,208,874 shares in the last quarter. GRS Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vail Resorts during the 2nd quarter worth about $71,753,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Vail Resorts during the 2nd quarter worth about $51,685,000. First Pacific Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Vail Resorts by 54.2% during the 1st quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP now owns 805,584 shares of the company’s stock valued at $128,910,000 after acquiring an additional 283,299 shares during the period. Finally, Bamco Inc. NY grew its position in Vail Resorts by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 5,702,692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $852,952,000 after acquiring an additional 227,143 shares in the last quarter. 94.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vail Resorts Trading Up 2.6%

NYSE MTN traded up $3.58 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $140.89. The company had a trading volume of 81,680 shares, compared to its average volume of 678,555. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.90. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $148.82 and a 200 day moving average of $153.05. Vail Resorts has a 1-year low of $129.85 and a 1-year high of $199.45.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, September 29th. The company reported ($5.08) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($4.75) by ($0.33). Vail Resorts had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 31.54%. The company had revenue of $271.29 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $272.87 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($4.67) earnings per share. Vail Resorts’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Vail Resorts will post 7.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vail Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 9th were given a $2.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 9th. This represents a $8.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.3%. Vail Resorts’s payout ratio is presently 119.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MTN. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $244.00 to $237.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Vail Resorts from $146.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $175.00 target price (down from $180.00) on shares of Vail Resorts in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $175.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vail Resorts from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $175.60.

Vail Resorts Company 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.