United Parks & Resorts misses estimates as attendance softens

United Parks & Resorts (NYSE:PRKS) reported fourth-quarter financial results that fell short of Wall Street expectations, as the theme park operator grappled with a decline in guest attendance and total revenue.

The Orlando-based company, which operates SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, posted a fourth-quarter profit of $15.1 million, or 28 cents per share.

The results significantly trailed the consensus estimate of 46 cents per share forecast by analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research.

Total revenue for the period reached $373.5 million, a 2.8% decrease compared to the same quarter in the prior year, also missing the $378.1 million expected by market observers.

Management noted that attendance during the quarter was approximately 4.8 million guests, a 2.6% drop year-over-year.

For the full fiscal year 2025, United Parks reported a total profit of $168.4 million, or $3.06 per share, on revenue of $1.66 billion.

The annual performance was characterized by a push for higher per-capita spending, though that growth was offset by a one-time non-cash bad debt write-off of $7.6 million in the fourth quarter.