United Parks & Resorts (NYSE:PRKS – Get Free Report) and Marcus (NYSE:MCS – Get Free Report) are both small-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, earnings, risk, institutional ownership, profitability and dividends.
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for United Parks & Resorts and Marcus, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| United Parks & Resorts | 2 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 2.15 |
| Marcus | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2.67 |
United Parks & Resorts presently has a consensus target price of $49.36, suggesting a potential upside of 39.18%. Marcus has a consensus target price of $23.50, suggesting a potential upside of 43.18%. Given Marcus’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Marcus is more favorable than United Parks & Resorts.
Earnings & Valuation
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| United Parks & Resorts | $1.67 billion | 1.16 | $227.50 million | $3.27 | 10.85 |
| Marcus | $753.27 million | 0.67 | -$7.79 million | $0.24 | 68.39 |
United Parks & Resorts has higher revenue and earnings than Marcus. United Parks & Resorts is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Marcus, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
81.6% of Marcus shares are held by institutional investors. 1.2% of United Parks & Resorts shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.0% of Marcus shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Profitability
This table compares United Parks & Resorts and Marcus’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| United Parks & Resorts | 10.83% | -44.47% | 6.88% |
| Marcus | 1.02% | 1.71% | 0.76% |
Volatility & Risk
United Parks & Resorts has a beta of 1.27, meaning that its share price is 27% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Marcus has a beta of 0.61, meaning that its share price is 39% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
United Parks & Resorts beats Marcus on 8 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About United Parks & Resorts
United Parks & Resorts, Inc. is a holding company, which engages in the ownership and operation of theme parks. Its portfolio includes SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Aquatica, Discovery Cove, Sesame Place, and Sea Rescue. The company was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Orlando, FL.
About Marcus
The Marcus Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates movie theatres, and hotels and resorts in the United States. It operates a family entertainment center and multiscreen motion picture theatres under the Big Screen Bistro, Big Screen Bistro Express, BistroPlex, and Movie Tavern by Marcus brand names. The company also owns and operates full-service hotels and resorts, as well as manages full-service hotels, resorts, and other properties. In addition, it provides hospitality management services, including check-in, housekeeping, and maintenance for a vacation ownership development; and manages condominium hotels under long-term management contracts. The Marcus Corporation was founded in 1935 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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