Industry News
It is no secret that Vail Resorts’ stock price has been struggling for years. After peaking in November 2021, the stock price is now worth roughly a third of what it was after a relentless five-year decline. Vail Daily reported that Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz recently purchased roughly $5 million in Vail Resorts stock, bringing his holdings to almost $40 million. CEOs often buy stock in their company as a show of confidence to investors. This purchase followed a critique by Late Apex Partners in early 2025. This independent investment group pointed out that while Kirsten Lynch was CEO, she did not purchase a single share of Vail stock, and that in the last five years no board member has purchased any stock. According to MarketBeat, almost 95% of Vail’s stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Vail Resorts has pursued an enormous stock buyback program over the last several years. Since 2022, the company has spent more than $1 billion on stock buybacks. Companies occasionally pursue buybacks to artificially reduce the supply of the stock, supporting higher prices. Vail’s buyback program does not appear to have helped its stock price, and the company currently has more than $3 billion in debt. Katz reportedly purchased most of the shares at around $131 on Monday, March 16. The stock rose to a peak of $144 on Tuesday but fell throughout the day on Wednesday, closing at around $136.
Since his return as CEO, Katz has done very little to address the reputation problem Vail Resorts has developed over the last few years. As sales of the Epic Pass and skier visits at Vail Resorts start to slip, it has become clear that any turnaround for Vail Resorts will need to come from a significant change in the company’s image and culture, and that financial maneuvers like stock buybacks are unlikely to help.
