Sit Investment Associates Inc. Has $931,000 Stake in Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN)

Sit Investment Associates Inc. trimmed its position in Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) by 48.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,965 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,655 shares during the quarter. Sit Investment Associates Inc.’s holdings in Vail Resorts were worth $931,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Vail Resorts in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $80,669,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,532,000. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Vail Resorts by 1,080.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 207,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,219,000 after purchasing an additional 190,210 shares in the last quarter. DnB Asset Management AS acquired a new position in Vail Resorts during the fourth quarter worth $33,286,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Vail Resorts in the fourth quarter valued at $23,170,000. 94.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vail Resorts Trading Down 6.5 %

MTN stock opened at $144.94 on Monday. Vail Resorts, Inc. has a one year low of $138.58 and a one year high of $233.57. The stock has a market cap of $5.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $161.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $173.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.64, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.51.

Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) last posted its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The company reported $6.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.29 by $0.27. Vail Resorts had a net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 21.90%. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $5.76 EPS. Vail Resorts’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Vail Resorts, Inc. will post 7.62 EPS for the current year.

Vail Resorts Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 27th will be given a $2.22 dividend. This represents a $8.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 27th. Vail Resorts’s payout ratio is 130.21%.

Insider Transactions at Vail Resorts

In other news, CFO Angela A. Korch acquired 185 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $160.00 per share, with a total value of $29,600.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,956 shares in the company, valued at $472,960. This represents a 6.68 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on MTN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $185.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Vail Resorts from $216.00 to $217.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Vail Resorts from $166.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Vail Resorts from $227.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Macquarie decreased their target price on shares of Vail Resorts from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vail Resorts currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $193.56.

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.