Six Flags Entertainment (NYSE:SIX) vs. United Parks & Resorts (NYSE:PRKS) Head-To-Head Review

Six Flags Entertainment (NYSE:SIX) and United Parks & Resorts (NYSE:PRKS) are both mid-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation, risk, earnings and profitability.

Risk & Volatility

Six Flags Entertainment has a beta of 2.25, meaning that its share price is 125% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, United Parks & Resorts has a beta of 1.96, meaning that its share price is 96% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Six Flags Entertainment and United Parks & Resorts, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Six Flags Entertainment	2	3	7	0	2.42
United Parks & Resorts	1	2	2	0	2.20

Six Flags Entertainment presently has a consensus target price of $28.00, indicating a potential upside of 7.34%. United Parks & Resorts has a consensus target price of $59.80, indicating a potential upside of 11.99%. Given United Parks & Resorts’ higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe United Parks & Resorts is more favorable than Six Flags Entertainment.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Six Flags Entertainment and United Parks & Resorts’ gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Six Flags Entertainment	$1.43 billion	1.54	$39.00 million	$0.32	81.52
United Parks & Resorts	$1.73 billion	1.93	$234.20 million	$3.72	14.35

United Parks & Resorts has higher revenue and earnings than Six Flags Entertainment. United Parks & Resorts is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Six Flags Entertainment, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

98.0% of Six Flags Entertainment shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.5% of Six Flags Entertainment shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.1% of United Parks & Resorts shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Six Flags Entertainment and United Parks & Resorts’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Six Flags Entertainment	1.84%	-6.61%	2.28%
United Parks & Resorts	13.84%	-88.59%	9.23%

Summary

United Parks & Resorts beats Six Flags Entertainment on 8 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Six Flags Entertainment

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation owns and operates regional theme and waterparks under the Six Flags name. Its parks offer various thrill rides, water attractions, themed areas, concerts and shows, restaurants, game venues, and retail outlets. The company sells food, beverages, merchandise, and other products and services within its parks. It operates parks in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The company was formerly known as Six Flags, Inc. and changed its name to Six Flags Entertainment Corporation in April 2010. Six Flags Entertainment Corporation was founded in 1961 and is based in Arlington, Texas.

About United Parks & Resorts

United Parks & Resorts Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a theme park and entertainment company in the United States. It operates and licenses SeaWorld theme parks in Orlando, Florida; San Antonio, Texas; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; and San Diego, California, as well as Busch Gardens theme parks in Tampa, Florida, and Williamsburg, Virginia. The company also operates water park attractions in Orlando, Florida; San Antonio, Texas; San Diego, California; Chula Vista, California; Tampa, Florida; and Williamsburg, Virginia. In addition, the company operates a reservations-only theme park in Orlando, Florida and a park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania; and theme park in Chula Vista, California. It operates a portfolio of theme parks under the SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Aquatica, Discovery Cove, Water Country USA, Adventure Island, and Sesame Place brand name. The company was formerly known as SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. and changed its name to United Parks & Resorts Inc. in February 2024. SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.