Head-To-Head Analysis: United Parks & Resorts (NYSE:PRKS) and Boyd Gaming (NYSE:BYD)

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

Risk and Volatility

United Parks & Resorts has a beta of 1.14, meaning that its stock price is 14% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Boyd Gaming has a beta of 1.06, meaning that its stock price is 6% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

76.8% of Boyd Gaming shares are held by institutional investors. 1.7% of United Parks & Resorts shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 22.8% of Boyd Gaming shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares United Parks & Resorts and Boyd Gaming”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
United Parks & Resorts	$1.66 billion	0.89	$168.35 million	$2.54	12.87
Boyd Gaming	$4.09 billion	1.27	$1.84 billion	$22.72	3.16

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for United Parks & Resorts and Boyd Gaming, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
United Parks & Resorts	1	9	4	0	2.21
Boyd Gaming	0	11	4	1	2.38

United Parks & Resorts presently has a consensus price target of $46.90, suggesting a potential upside of 43.50%. Boyd Gaming has a consensus price target of $94.69, suggesting a potential upside of 31.99%. Given United Parks & Resorts’ higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe United Parks & Resorts is more favorable than Boyd Gaming.

Profitability

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

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
United Parks & Resorts	8.11%	-27.85%	5.04%
Boyd Gaming	44.34%	22.52%	8.80%

Summary

Boyd Gaming beats United Parks & Resorts on 11 of the 14 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 Boyd Gaming

Boyd Gaming Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a multi-jurisdictional gaming company in Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The company operates through Las Vegas Locals, Downtown Las Vegas, Midwest & South, and Online segments. It also engages in owning and operating a travel agency. Boyd Gaming Corporation was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada.