Amusment Park Stock

[rollercoasterfreek]

Is it just me or is Six Flags and Cedar Fair having problems with stock value? I have noticed how Six Flags's stock is at an extreme low. Notice this (http://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=SIX) page and compare to the value in the past. Cedar Fair seems like a nightmare too. This (http://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=FUN) is the page for it.

Can anyone tell me the possible reason behind this?

[Tom]

Not having the money when they do large takeovers or buyouts. Cedar Fair is partially because of acquiring the Paramount parks, while Six Flags is just bad decisions. They never recovered after saying they were selling SFMM, it dropped a good percent that day I remember that.

[Jake]

^ Exactly.

Cedar Fair purchasing the Paramount parks was a HUGE blunder, and they haven't quite recovered from that yet. As for Six Flags.. I think everyone is on a wait and see basis. Six Flags keeps promising this and that, but they have yet to deliver. And until they do, don't expect to see their prices rise.

Whose up for a Six Flags buy out? ;).

[Airtime&Gravity]

^Give me a few million and I will...hey, I couldn't be worse than some of the chains former owners right?

Cedar Fair made a mistake with the purchase of the Paramount Parks, and if the billion they spent to buy them was spent instead on improving the parks they already had, then they might be doing better. Six Flags will have a turn around soon, but with the bad publicity after the SFKK incident, and with the way gas prices are, their stock didn't have a chance to go up. Disney on the other hand had a good year, but then again, it is Disney.

[Tom]

I think you get 10-20 enthusiasts running a chain and it will be in good shape in no time, or it will fall off the face of the earth, depending on the amount of work done ha.

[rollercoasterfreek]

It looks really depressing seeing such a huge decrease. I was doing a stock market project in keeping track of a few companies for my HS. I chose to "buy" Cedar Fair stock and would just keep track of Six flags. If I kept the Cedar Fair stock, I would have lost over 2,000 dollars. It probably is a good time to buy Six flags stock now though. I don't think they will be bankrupt.

[GeorgeBC]

I think you get 10-20 enthusiasts running a chain and it will be in good shape in no time, or it will fall off the face of the earth, depending on the amount of work done ha.

If you ever got 10-20 enthusiasts running a park or chain, chances are it'd fall off the face of the earth, it's all well saying enthusiasts could do it if they had the money, but the fact is 99% couldn't.

Running a chain or theme park is possibly one of the most demanding and stressful positions anyone could be put in, constantly having to try and please as many people as possible from investors, to the public and to an extent enthusiasts.

I think it's really hard for most people to understand how demanding the job is and very few people can actually fill such a position successfully, sure people currently running park chains or parks or people who did previously may not have made the best decisions but the pressure and amount of work they have to deal with certainly is something very few people could handle, I honestly think most enthusiasts would get bored of such a job, it's all fine saying so but working for theme parks and running them is far from what it's cracked up to be.

As for stocks, well no doubt it's down to bad investment and bad times, but with time and a bit of effort stock value should and hopefully will increase.

[rollercoasterfreek]

At the moment. the stocks were under two dollars for Six Flags. Cedar fair did shoot up a bit. Not much though.

I can't imagine the pain in running a chain.

[Jake]

If you ever got 10-20 enthusiasts running a park or chain, chances are it'd fall off the face of the earth, it's all well saying enthusiasts could do it if they had the money, but the fact is 99% couldn't.

Running a chain or theme park is possibly one of the most demanding and stressful positions anyone could be put in, constantly having to try and please as many people as possible from investors, to the public and to an extent enthusiasts.

I think it's really hard for most people to understand how demanding the job is and very few people can actually fill such a position successfully, sure people currently running park chains or parks or people who did previously may not have made the best decisions but the pressure and amount of work they have to deal with certainly is something very few people could handle, I honestly think most enthusiasts would get bored of such a job, it's all fine saying so but working for theme parks and running them is far from what it's cracked up to be.

Not only that, but you try and get 20 enthusiasts to AGREE on something. "ZOMG lez get a BEEEMER!!!!" "NOOO INTAHMEEN!!!!"

Well, my Disney stock is doing better than ever, muahaha.

[Tom]

Enthusiasts can't decide on anything, so pretty much there would be nothing done besides constant arguing. I can agree 100% about working at a park, its not all that great, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Disney stock is up there, Six Flags is plummeting as well as Cedar Fair. I did the same stock project, and I had enough invested in SF to shoot me up a good $5,000 with a $0.10 increase or something like that. Then it fell and I lost it all.

[p0tat0]

Disney stock is up there because it's a diverse company, since it doesn't only own themeparks, but tv, movies, etc.

SF and CF's profits do change seasonally which may be a problem, especially with investors. You want a stock that constantly grows, not jumps up and down erratically.

[theRock-steel]

Many of you said that buying the Paramount parks was a bad thing to do for Cedar Fair. For the benefit of the parks themselves, should they be owned by Paramount, Cedar Fair, or someone else ? By the end of 2008, Kings Island and Kings Dominion will have rides from Geauga Lake. Carowinds will appeal to more families by having a new water area. Canada's Wonderland will have a new hyper. By the end of 2009, California's Great America will have a Great Coasters International wooden. The company seems to be doing the right things to draw more crowds. The parks should be better, yes ?

[rollercoasterfreak91]

Sounds better for us coaster people anyway. Isn't it ironic that as SF goes family friendly on us, CF starts putting in lots of coasters?

[thedeadfrog]

Enthusiasts can't decide on anything, so pretty much there would be nothing done besides constant arguing.

Ain't it the truth? I think the only upshot would be that, we know how to please, concidering our constant bickering over what is good and bad. You'd think the customer would know whats best.

[Thrill Reconnoiter]

Disney stock is up there, Six Flags is plummeting as well as Cedar Fair. I did the same stock project, and I had enough invested in SF to shoot me up a good $5,000 with a $0.10 increase or something like that. Then it fell and I lost it all.
Like someone mentioned above me, Disney stock is up because of their cinematography/merchandise. DLR & TDR are down, WDWR & DLP is up (maybe DLR fanboys should thank WDWR for once). Even with those parks still down, the chain put up a $10.6 billion revenue figure (parks and resorts). All of American revenue from last year was only 11.5 billion (I'm sure Disney making most of that). Now you guys know why I can buy a Busch Gardens ticket at the main gate of Universal Studios FL, or vice-versa. They're both working against 'the mouse'. Magic Mountain and Knotts [SF/CF] need to take the hint if they want to compete with DLR [Disney], or USH [Universal].

On the side note leading back to Paramounts acquisition: It's not just about coasters like mentioned above...the top 10 parks in the world don't have more than a few coasters. It's about creating experiences, not just rides. CedarFair's decision to acquire the Paramount parks has actually led to believe they believe more in the 'quantity over quality' motto stronger than ever. Not everyone needs a daycation park within a few hours from their house. People ARE willing to drive long distance to visit a slightly more enjoyable park...ask random people people at a Universal, Herschend, or Disney park, Hershey, Europa, etc, where they're from. Chances are a good percentage are from out of state.

[rollercoasterfreek]

Disney does make much more. It does make sense they can make profits from things such as clothes and TV network stuff. I am happy that SFDK is going to be open longer because of the Christmas special thingy. I like it that Six flags is also more family friendly. It attracts more. The Six flags stock (at the moment while I am typing this) is barely over $2.00. I think that CF needs to focus on quality more. Quantity is fine but I think quality in the park of Great America is so so. I live about 40 minutes from there and it seems mediocre but it is getting better.

I don't see how people are saying that Disney stock is up right now. I looked at this page and it has gone down from some time ago. It keeps staying at $30 and will peak as high as $35.

Look at this link. http://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=DIS

(if you want look at Six flags and CF, change the "DIS" to "SIX" for six flags or "FUN" for Cedar Faire in the URL.

I highly laugh that CF's ticker symbol is "FUN"

[Thrill Reconnoiter]

^That's because:

The company's fourth-quarter revenue totaled $8.9 billion, compared with $8.7 billion during the same period last year. Fourth-quarter net profit amounted to $877 million, which allowed Disney to offer diluted earnings of 44 cents a share, up from 36 cents a year ago. A one-time tax adjustment accounted for 2 cents' worth of that increase, but even at 42 cents a share, the company's performance beat the 41-cent prediction of stock analysts surveyed by Thomson/First Call.

Fourth-quarter sales were down for Disney's Studio Entertainment segment. The division's sales for the year also fell, just 1 percent, but it still managed a 65 percent increase in operating profit.

The actual Parks and Resorts division/segment is up:

Disney's Parks and Resorts, Consumer Products and Broadcast Networks divisions all posted higher sales for the quarter and identical, 7 percent sales increases for the fiscal year. They each also showed reported gains in operating profit.

Although they did not detail Disney World's attendance, Staggs said it set a record this fiscal year and more than offset a slight decline at Disneyland Resort in Southern California, giving the company an overall 5 percent increase in domestic admissions.

[theRock-steel]

I don't think that it's always easy or profitable to run an amusement park. There are many more parks that have gone under in the U.S. than are still operating. Disney and Busch have other interests (movies, ABC, ESPN, cruise ships, beverages, etc..). I believe that Cedar Fair and Six Flags are pretty one dimensional. They also have just recently started yielding toward families. The others have been doing that for longer.

[rollercoasterfreek]

I almost forgot they own 80 percent of ESPN. Experience matters.

[Thrill Reconnoiter]

Experience matters.
...and yet somehow the two corps at the top of the game are relatively new compared to the *other* guys.

[rollercoasterfreek]

UPDATE:

Cedar fair is at 22.72 when it was lower earlier.

Six Flags is at 2.48

Disney is at 32.48 after having a dividend earlier. Those who bought it on black Friday could have had a steel in making a profit.

[Dan]

Poor Six Flags, although not at all surprising. I'm actually quite surprised that CF runs so high. And, I'd expect Disney's to be higher up, considering they have both Television, Radio, and AP's.

[Tom]

Wow, Six Flags is getting really really low now. In February it was so much higher, this is the time to buy though as its so low, its bound to go up...

[sirloin]

Let's pool our resources as a website and buy out Six Flags. I call CEO.

[Jake]

Whose up for a Six Flags buy out? ;).

Sorry buddy, I already brought that idea up.

I call C.O.O.

[rollercoasterfreek]

Does everyone on this website have enough money to buyout? lol.

[Tom]

Well lets see, we get everyone and there families to put all there savings for there entire lives into it and then we have like 85% control of the company. Damn you Sirloin. I call President, and Operations manager.

[sirloin]

Jake already got COO. Sorry. You could be CFO.

[Thrill Reconnoiter]

Moving back on topic, Disney stock is still stronger than it has been for a long time. General Electric, is still in its bimonthly slump, which I'm sure will change.

[sheikra182]

Moving back on topic, Disney stock is still stronger than it has been for a long time. General Electric, is still in its bimonthly slump, which I'm sure will change.
^Since when did you get into stocks?
Anyway, I dont know if you guys saw this but I did lol. I saw the stocks for Cedar Fair and it was quite comical what I saw. Back in May there stocks dive bombed. While Six Flags however did'nt move much during there accident with Superman. Kinda funny how a tragic freak accident cost less in the stocks than the overated ride of 2007's delay.

[rollercoasterfreek]

UPDATE: Cedar Fair is at 21.35 with it's quarterly reports here.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=fun

Six flags is at 2.35 Right now. Here are the quarterly reports from them.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=six

Disney is at 32.30.

The HK disneyland is trying to boost the attendance since it is low. I suppose it's why the value is fluctuating.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/071219/hong_kong_hk_disneyland.html?.v=1

[p0tat0]

Like Gary mentioned above me, FIXED

SF is still down in stocks.. wow. In our little recession where spending is low all the stocks will do is continue to fall.


wow, their stock is really depressing, look at 1998, the stock went from 65 to 16.. SF never fully recovered from that. When premier bought it.
**Time Warner acquired a stake in 1991, buying the remainder of the company in 1993 but offloading a 51% stake to Boston Ventures for US$1bn (debt and equity) in 1995 and exiting in 1998. Premier branded 24 of its facilities as 'Six Flags' parks and expanded offshore during 1998, acquiring 94% of Walibi Parks (six parks in Europe). In 1999 it acquired Splashtown Water Park in Houston and Reino Aventura, Mexico's largest theme park (later Six Flags Mexico) along with the White Water Atlanta park and Warner Bros. Movie World in Germany. With Time Warner the stocks were amazing. I just wonder, did it fall when it switched hands? or after? I can't find it.



Later in 2007 RedZone Capital, the investment company owned by the Daniel Snyder (largest individual shareholder of Six Flags and owner of the Washington Redskins) bought 60% of TV production company Dick Clark Productions for US$135 million, with Six Flags — paying US$40 million for the remaining stake. Dick Clark Productions had been a publicly traded company (with Clark controlling 70% of the shares) until 2002, when a group of investors took it private for US$140 million.

At least Snyder is trying to diversify the company(or I guess RedZone), however it will take a long time to have an affect.
**http://www.ketupa.net/sixflags.htm

[p0tat0]

http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2007/12/26/4-fun-stocks-to-buy-in-2008.aspx


Cedar Fair (NYSE: FUN (http://caps.fool.com/Ticker/FUN.aspx))
2008 will be a very important year for the amusement park industry. It will be the third year that Cedar Fair has watched over the Paramount Parks chain. It will also be the third year that Six Flags (NYSE: SIX (http://caps.fool.com/Ticker/SIX.aspx)) operates under new management.
Since both companies pointed to three-year turnaround plans before the 2006 summer seasons, next summer will be the time for both companies to prove they made the right decisions.
I believe in both companies. I even own shares in both companies. I'll single out Cedar Fair as the 2008 winner, because it's the one with the easier path back. It remains consistently profitable (http://www.fool.com/investing/dividends-income/2007/11/07/you-must-be-this-tall-to-invest-in-cedar-fair.aspx). Its beefy yield of 8.7% will make the waiting bearable, even though slashing the dividend is always possible if conditions deteriorate.
A lot is out of the hands of the regional operators. Local economies and inclement weather can unravel turnaround plans that looked so good on paper. No one can predict those variables. However, if everything holds constant, the third year should be the charm for this industry, which could sorely use an ego boost.

[rollercoasterfreek]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- More U.S. businesses are likely to hang "going bankrupt" signs on their doors next year as the twin blows of slower economic growth and pricey commodities force the weakest companies to seek refuge from creditors.
The portion of issuers that qualify as distressed, which include Remington shavers and consumer-products conglomerate Spectrum Brands Inc., mortgage lender Residential Capital LLC and theme-park operator Six Flags Inc., has climbed to about two-year highs. Companies that sell to the consumer make the biggest part.


I can't believe Six Flags is on a Bankruptcy article for 2008.

Current Numbers (As I am typing):
FUN:21.24
SIX:2.02

[Dan]

I'm confident that if they do have to file bankruptcy at some point next year, they'll pull out of it pretty quickly. The company's direction is promising.

[rollercoasterfreek]

SANDUSKY, Ohio, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (NYSE: FUN (http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=fun&d=t) - News (http://finance.yahoo.com/q/h?s=fun)), a leader in regional amusement parks, water parks and active entertainment, today announced the declaration of a regular quarterly cash distribution of 47.5 cents per limited-partner unit, continuing the company's annualized distribution rate of $1.90 per unit.

The distribution, which is payable February 15, 2008, to holders of record February 5, 2008, represents the company's 83rd consecutive quarterly cash distribution.The company plans to issue a news release announcing its 2007 fourth quarter and full year earnings results before market hours on Thursday, February 7, 2008. The company will host a conference call with analysts that afternoon at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, which will be web cast live in "listen only" mode via the Cedar Fair web site.







Cedar Fair's numbers are at an all time low for now. I know right now this is a "Panic of 2008" right now but do you think any of these companies will get through these problems? The Economy is really plummeting.

Current Numbers:
Cedar Fair: 19.73
Six Flags: 1.63
Disney: 28.12

[Dan]

Cedar Fair's numbers are at an all time low for now. I know right now this is a "Panic of 2008" right now but do you think any of these companies will get through these problems? The Economy is really plummeting.
They will eventually recover, the question is when. They seem to move, for the most part, with the economy, so I think when that goes up, so will most of these numbers.

[Tom]

In my Macroeconomics class today, we discussed the POSSIBLE recession and that even if it does occur, 6 months tops. My professor is a pretty brilliant guy, he looks like Brenden Frasier in Bedazzled, at the beginning when he is all nerdy. The entire 75 minute class was spent discussing it.

So yes I think the companies will survive, all of them. The only one in real question is Six Flags, and well even without the little slump right now, they would probably still be in the same boat.

[Jake]

*Cheers for his Disney stock*

It's just a slump, it happens.

[Dan]

So yes I think the companies will survive, all of them. The only one in real question is Six Flags, and well even without the little slump right now, they would probably still be in the same boat.The others may get out just fine, but looking at Six Flag's stock over the past year, I can see it filing bankruptcy. But, as I stated earlier, the company isn't making the same mistakes it used to, so we need to give it time to play out. United filed bankruptcy a while ago, and they're doing just fine now...I do believe Six Flags could do the same.

[Tom]

Ever since Shapiro and Co. took over, it has plummeted. At this second, 12:01 CST Six Flags stock is $1.60. I believe Red Zone LLC. took over in fourth quarter of 2005, first 2006, and in Feb 3, 2006 Six Flags stock was at: $11.51 a share. Now it is January 23, 2008 and it has fallen $9.90 a share which is terrible when they were not well off in the first place. On June 15, 2007 shares were at $6.46.

They aren't doing something right.

[Jake]

I'm of the mind that had Shapiro not taken over, the company would be gone, or at the very least filed bankruptcy at this point.

Beyond stocks, the parks are better then they were when Red Zone was in control, I think we can all agree with that.

[Tom]

I'm of the mind that had Shapiro not taken over, the company would be gone, or at the very least filed bankruptcy at this point.

Beyond stocks, the parks are better then they were when Red Zone was in control, I think we can all agree with that.

Yes an no. Prices went up when Red Zone took over, which kills the family friendly aspect, rides are being removed left and right. Parks are being sold quickly. But on the yes side, employees are more friendly, MUCH more friendly, they are cleaner, some parks offer more family things to do, others are still in process of it.

Stock plummeted when they said they were gonna sell SFMM, they never recovered after that little "marketing ploy."

[Jake]

Believe it or not driving the prices up greatly improved the parks family friendliness. Many families have the "get what you pay for" mentality, and not only did raising the prices fulfill that, it also kept teens out who can't afford the higher prices. So, in my books, it's a win win as far as prices are concerned.

[rollercoasterfreek]

Believe it or not driving the prices up greatly improved the parks family friendliness. Many families have the "get what you pay for" mentality, and not only did raising the prices fulfill that, it also kept teens out who can't afford the higher prices. So, in my books, it's a win win as far as prices are concerned.

I will agree there. I didn't see as many "Shady" people when I was at SFDK for my annual visit. It was more family friendly. You can tell though that they haven't made as much profits.

[Dan]

I will agree there. I didn't see as many "Shady" people when I was at SFDK for my annual visit. It was more family friendly. You can tell though that they haven't made as much profits....what? How on earth would you be able to tell that by visiting a park?

[Jake]

I think he means to say that by reading press releases, and watching their stock that he can see a drop in profit. I'm not sure how true that is on a same park basis. Since they sold those parks last year, they were assured to make "less" in the whole scheme of things.

[p0tat0]

Cedar Fair's numbers are at an all time low for now. I know right now this is a "Panic of 2008" right now but do you think any of these companies will get through these problems? The Economy is really plummeting.

Current Numbers:
Cedar Fair: 19.73
Six Flags: 1.63
Disney: 28.12


That was the best time to buy some stock. Six flags is so low right now, (1.60).

I'm thinking about investing in Sixflags but that would be a huge gamble.

I too think Six Flags will unlikely recover....

[Gemini78]

You know, I've been finding a lot of good places to post an analysis that I originally posted over on Google Finance regarding the SIX slowdown and current stagnation. So, here it is in full.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again; SIX was ahead of the
general business cycle in the amusement industry, and possibly, of the
economy in general. Think about your general graph of the business
cycle - a sine wave - and then take another wave and overlay it. Now
we start to manipulate that wave to generally match the direction of
the company over the past several (10+ years). First, take the initial
positive slope prior to the peak and steepen it, then plateau the peak
pretty quickly. Try to imagine this graphically in your mind, because
I don't have a good way to represent it at the moment. Now, compared
to the general sine wave of the amusement industry, the wave for SIX
is shifted slightly to the left with a steeper positive slope, and it
tops out before the industry wave. Now, we have a slow initial
decline, about in line with the slope of the industry line, but still
shifted to the left (the x-axis representing time, if you hadn't
already figured it out). I believe we can all agree that more recently
the decline of SIX can be represented by a line/slope much closer to
vertical, which brings SIX even farther to the left compared to the
industry. Visualize a pretty simplified graph, to make numbers easier,
and at about 1.5 on the y-axis, start bringing the line out of its
steep dive and start lengthening it ever so slightly, and I would say
that by the time you reach about -2. Now, imagine that the industry's
wave also bottoms out at -2, but remember, SIX is still left shifted,
though their continuing dive has reached almost horizontal. We've seen
pretty much no growth, but because of the near horizontal nature of
the current slope of the line, that brings us closer in line with the
industry wave again. This is where I step away from what we know and I
extrapolate on the graph.

Does SIX continue its trend of being left-shifted and come out of the
trough before the rest of the industry, or does SIX fall back into
line with the industry cycle? Personally, I think that it is a decent
possibility that SIX will remain slightly ahead of the industry for at
least a little bit. I think we will begin to see some very positive
slow growth, while the rest of the industry remains pretty flat. I
don't think it will be drastically ahead of the rest of the industry,
but, based upon past trends in the company, I believe the slow growth
will keep SIX ahead of the cycle for a while, though the industry will
catch up to the business cycle of SIX, and the two will eventually
fall back into line.

Once again, this is just my analysis, as a college freshman business
student. But, like I have said elsewhere, I've had my eye fixed on the
amusement industry for the past three years, as well as working at
Cedar Point last summer, so I haven't been blind to what has been
happening. Snyder, Shapiro and co. bring a lot of strengths to the
table in my opinion, and I really think they are generally taking the
right direction. For someone who hasn't been involved in the amusement
industry before, he is making some surprisingly smart moves for the
parks; especially from an operational standpoint. So say what you
will, but I really feel that no one is really taking a look at the
industry, where it is headed, and what lies ahead.

[rollercoasterfreek]

Our economy fell way too much today. If you look at this page, (http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=%5EDJA) it is very depressing. I find alot of things from Yahoo! Finance most of the time. I found this article a few days back.



Cedar Fair (NYSE: FUN (http://caps.fool.com/Ticker/FUN.aspx?source=icaedilnk9950012))
Regional amusement park operators rely on locals to keep the turnstiles clicking. That's welcome news as we head into a summer of $4 gallons of gasoline. Sorry, Griswolds -- there will be fewer cross-country treks to Wally World this year.
Cedar Fair operates several popular parks, including Cedar Point in Ohio and Knott's Berry Farm in California. Rival Six Flags (NYSE: SIX (http://caps.fool.com/Ticker/SIX.aspx?source=icaedilnk9950012)) recently reported that season-pass sales are running comfortably ahead of last year's pace, so either consumers are looking forward to a summer of thrills, or they are investing in a recession by snapping up passes that they will be able to milk with frequent visits during the summer.
Sure, tight times may put a dent in per capita spending at the park. You can't expect regulars to snap up touristy souvenirs and costly on-ride photographs, or even to consume in-park meals. However, getting those turnstiles to click in the right direction is the first step. Sponsors will pay to reach those eyeballs, and Cedar Fair will find a way to market its food and merchandise to tight-fisted locals.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/03/14/3-stocks-bracing-for-the-bears.aspx

[p0tat0]

I wonder how far everything will slide.. or maybe it's bottoming out now? Hmm.. whenever that happens I'll start buying :)

[Gemini78]

If it hasn't already hit bottom (which, I personally think things are about as low as they're going to go, though it may slide a bit for the next month or two), it will within the next month. Like I said though, don't expect much in the way of sudden growth. We may see some spikes in prices, but those will most likely be unbalanced short term inflation in the prices, followed by another sharp decrease bringing things back in line.

[p0tat0]

I hope it bottomed out now lol. I just bought some stock today, not in SIX or FUN

[Gemini78]

I hope you didn't think I was generalizing about the economy in general. I was talking more about SIX, and partly the industry as a whole. However, I will say that Disney doesn't necessarily follow the industry trend, if the trend of the economy is different enough from the industry. That goes for any other company like Herschend and Busch, that parks aren't their only (or main) source of revenue.

[rollercoasterfreek]

Cedar Fair (NYSE: FUN (http://caps.fool.com/Ticker/FUN.aspx?source=icaedilnk9950012)) is another hiker. The regional amusement park operator declared a quarterly distribution of $0.48 a share, in line with its previously announced increase. If you think that coaster park operators are as wild and unpredictable as some of their rides, Cedar Fair will have upped its disbursements for 21 years straight once these checks go out. Rival Six Flags (NYSE: SIX (http://caps.fool.com/Ticker/SIX.aspx?source=icaedilnk9950012)) may not pay a dividend, but Cedar Fair is now yielding a whopping 8.3%.


There is something to cheer about here. At least something is going up.

[Steve K]

I bought approx 200 shares of SF a couple months ago when it was at $2.18 per share...after dipping down to under $1.70, it's finally reached $2.19 again...I have good expectations for SF this summer and I expect that to continue climbing. :)

[G-Force!]

Just curious, what place do you all use where you buy your shares? Like Scottrade, etc? Sorry, too lazy to read everything in previous posts:smile:

[Steve K]

I personally use USAA as my brokerage service, however that is for Military only. I get good rates with them. :)

[p0tat0]

I use sharebuilder to purchase my stocks. It's $10 to buy and sell..

I'm not that confident with SF.. I won't buy theirs for a while.

[Steve K]

I've looked at their annual shareholders report and I'm liking what I'm seeing. With people looking for cheaper family 'getaways' this year because of the economy, I think we'll see an above average year for SF and will in turn increase profits and raise the value of the company.

Since yesterday their stock has risen from $2.19 to $2.44. That's one day with no major happenings to affect it. As long as SF has no major 'bad press' this year, I don't see any reason for the stock value not to climb.

[JonJon86]

I use ETRADE.

I hold stock in automotive companies.

[p0tat0]

I've looked at their annual shareholders report and I'm liking what I'm seeing. With people looking for cheaper family 'getaways' this year because of the economy, I think we'll see an above average year for SF and will in turn increase profits and raise the value of the company.

Since yesterday their stock has risen from $2.19 to $2.44. That's one day with no major happenings to affect it. As long as SF has no major 'bad press' this year, I don't see any reason for the stock value not to climb.hmm then I might buy some shares if the stock falls under $2 again.

[rollercoasterfreek]

^ My parents weren't confident in Six Flags. Seeing that most parks move with the economy, the DJA isn't doing so well. The only stock I own would be Bank of America. If it does fall to under 2, I might think about it.

[p0tat0]

Well you are supposed to buy low and sell high... and now is the time to buy :)