Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 37,543 Shares of Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,655,436 shares of the company’s stock after selling 37,543 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Vail Resorts were worth $288,526,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Vail Resorts by 150.9% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 138 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in Vail Resorts in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its holdings in Vail Resorts by 318.8% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 123.5% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 219 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canton Hathaway LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vail Resorts by 66.7% in the second quarter. Canton Hathaway LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 94.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vail Resorts news, CFO Angela A. Korch bought 165 shares of Vail Resorts stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $173.09 per share, for a total transaction of $28,559.85. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $378,547.83. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Vail Resorts news, insider Robert A. Katz sold 9,296 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 245,961 shares in the company, valued at $43,284,216.78. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Angela A. Korch bought 165 shares of Vail Resorts stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 3rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $173.09 per share, for a total transaction of $28,559.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 2,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $378,547.83. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MTN. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $161.00 to $155.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Vail Resorts from $218.00 to $194.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Vail Resorts from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Vail Resorts in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Vail Resorts from $223.00 to $216.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 27th. Two 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $208.22.

Vail Resorts Stock Down 3.1 %

NYSE MTN opened at $174.45 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. Vail Resorts, Inc. has a 52 week low of $165.00 and a 52 week high of $236.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.93, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a fifty day moving average of $176.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $181.43.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 26th. The company reported ($4.67) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($4.28) by ($0.39). Vail Resorts had a net margin of 7.99% and a return on equity of 20.76%. The firm had revenue of $265.39 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $264.84 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($3.35) earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Vail Resorts, Inc. will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Vail Resorts Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 of this dividend was Tuesday, October 8th. This represents a $8.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.09%. Vail Resorts’s payout ratio is 147.26%.

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.