The Wizard Behind the Curtain at SeaWorld

September 30, 2024

Hmmm.

Haven’t looked at this one in awhile . . .

You ever look at something, set-it-aside, forget about it, and then revisit it . . . like 10 years later?

Yeah, that’s us a few weeks back.

It’s been so long they even changed their name. When we first looked at this company they called themselves SeaWorld. Years later, a PR controversy, a few different leadership changes, and a “crazy” name change has transformed this once sleepy company. Today, the company’s now called United Parks and Resorts, Inc. with the ticker symbol PRKS. Now that’s a super duper exciting name if you ask us.

Nothing says can’t miss like . . . United Parks and Resorts. ZZZZzzzzz. Still, we persevered through narcolepsy and poked around.

In many ways, it is the same company, operating about a dozen or so theme parks, venues, and water parks. PRKS’s revenue is basically dominated by SeaWorld in Orlando and SeaWorld in San Diego, but it does own Busch Gardens and a few other aquatic parks. There’s even a SeaWorld today in the Abu Dhabi that’s been developed through a license agreement. On the surface, it doesn’t look like much has changed, but go a bit deeper and you begin to see the transformation. What you see on the surface of SeaWorld’s water, belies the magic that’s underneath.

Let’s dive in.