The Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN) Share Price Is Up 211% And Shareholders Are Boasting About It

When you buy shares in a company, it’s worth keeping in mind the possibility that it could fail, and you could lose your money. But when you pick a company that is really flourishing, you can make more than 100%. One great example is Vail Resorts, Inc.(NYSE:MTN) which saw its share price drive 211% higher over five years. Meanwhile the share price is 4.4% higher than it was a week ago.

Check out our latest analysis for Vail Resorts

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.

Over half a decade, Vail Resorts managed to grow its earnings per share at 61% a year. This EPS growth is higher than the 25% average annual increase in the share price. So it seems the market isn’t so enthusiastic about the stock these days.

The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

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It’s probably worth noting that the CEO is paid less than the median at similar sized companies. It’s always worth keeping an eye on CEO pay, but a more important question is whether the company will grow earnings throughout the years. Dive deeper into the earnings by checking this interactive graph of Vail Resorts’s earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What About Dividends?

It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings. It’s fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. We note that for Vail Resorts the TSR over the last 5 years was 247%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

A Different Perspective

We regret to report that Vail Resorts shareholders are down 2.2% for the year (even including dividends). Unfortunately, that’s worse than the broader market decline of 0.4%. Having said that, it’s inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. Longer term investors wouldn’t be so upset, since they would have made 28%, each year, over five years. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. Before spending more time on Vail Resorts it might be wise to click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling shares.

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Simply Wall St