Traders Purchase Large Volume of Put Options on Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN)

Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:MTN) was the target of unusually large options trading on Monday. Investors purchased 4,660 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 499% compared to the average daily volume of 778 put options.

Vail Resorts Stock Performance

MTN stock traded up $0.18 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $136.29. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 380,423 shares, compared to its average volume of 811,004. The stock has a market cap of $4.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.99, a PEG ratio of 9.44 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.22. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $144.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $136.90. Vail Resorts has a 1 year low of $118.51 and a 1 year high of $163.34.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vail Resorts

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bamco Inc. NY purchased a new position in Vail Resorts in the second quarter valued at about $889,971,000. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vail Resorts during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $464,712,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $131,418,000. Corient Private Wealth LP purchased a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $55,443,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Vail Resorts in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $49,749,000. 94.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Vail Resorts from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Vail Resorts from $174.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Vail Resorts in a report on Thursday, August 13th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $132.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Vail Resorts from $134.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Vail Resorts in a report on Friday, September 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $147.46.

About Vail Resorts

Vail Resorts, Inc is a mountain resort company that operates a portfolio of ski and summer resorts, primarily in the United States, Canada and Australia. Its properties offer skiing, snowboarding and other outdoor recreational activities, along with lodging, dining, retail, equipment rentals, lessons and related guest services.

The company’s resort portfolio includes well-known destinations such as Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia; and Perisher in New South Wales, Australia.