Head-To-Head Comparison: United Parks & Resorts (NYSE:PRKS) & Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN)

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Vail Resorts and United Parks & Resorts, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Vail Resorts	2	3	3	0	2.13
United Parks & Resorts	1	3	6	0	2.50

Vail Resorts currently has a consensus price target of $221.50, suggesting a potential upside of 24.49%. United Parks & Resorts has a consensus price target of $65.90, suggesting a potential upside of 36.02%. Given United Parks & Resorts’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe United Parks & Resorts is more favorable than Vail Resorts.

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Vail Resorts	9.59%	23.41%	4.75%
United Parks & Resorts	14.06%	-92.07%	9.26%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Vail Resorts and United Parks & Resorts’ top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Vail Resorts	$2.89 billion	2.32	$268.15 million	$7.35	24.21
United Parks & Resorts	$1.73 billion	1.63	$234.20 million	$3.72	13.02

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

Volatility & Risk

Vail Resorts has a beta of 1.14, suggesting that its share price is 14% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, United Parks & Resorts has a beta of 2.02, suggesting that its share price is 102% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

94.9% of Vail Resorts shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.2% of Vail Resorts shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.1% of United Parks & Resorts shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

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

About Vail Resorts

Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates mountain resorts and regional ski areas in the United States. It operates through three segments: Mountain, Lodging, and Real Estate. The Mountain segment operates 41 destination mountain resorts and regional ski areas. This segment is also involved in the ancillary activities, including ski school, dining, and retail/rental operations, as well as real estate brokerage activities. The Lodging segment owns and/or manages various luxury hotels and condominiums under the RockResorts brand; other lodging properties; various condominiums located in proximity to the company's mountain resorts; destination resorts; and golf courses, as well as offers resort ground transportation services. This segment operates owned and managed hotel and condominium units. The Real Estate segment owns, develops, and sells real estate properties. The company was founded in 1845 and is based in Broomfield, Colorado.

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.