Comparing United Parks & Resorts (NYSE:PRKS) & International Game Technology (NYSE:IGT)

United Parks & Resorts (NYSE:PRKS) and International Game Technology (NYSE:IGT) are both mid-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends and risk.

Profitability

This table compares United Parks & Resorts and International Game Technology’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
United Parks & Resorts	13.84%	-88.59%	9.23%
International Game Technology	4.98%	20.84%	3.85%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for United Parks & Resorts and International Game Technology, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
United Parks & Resorts	1	2	2	0	2.20
International Game Technology	0	2	4	0	2.67

United Parks & Resorts currently has a consensus price target of $59.80, indicating a potential upside of 17.76%. International Game Technology has a consensus price target of $28.00, indicating a potential upside of 37.19%. Given International Game Technology’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe International Game Technology is more favorable than United Parks & Resorts.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares United Parks & Resorts and International Game Technology’s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
United Parks & Resorts	$1.73 billion	1.84	$234.20 million	$3.72	13.65
International Game Technology	$4.32 billion	0.94	$156.00 million	$1.05	19.44

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

Institutional & Insider Ownership

44.3% of International Game Technology shares are held by institutional investors. 1.1% of United Parks & Resorts shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.2% of International Game Technology shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility and Risk

United Parks & Resorts has a beta of 1.96, suggesting that its share price is 96% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, International Game Technology has a beta of 1.94, suggesting that its share price is 94% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

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

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.

About International Game Technology

International Game Technology PLC operates and provides gaming technology products and services in the United States, Canada, Italy, The United Kingdom, rest of Europe, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Global Lottery, Global Gaming, and PlayDigital. The company designs, sells, operates, and leases a suite of point-of-sale machines that reconciles lottery funds between the retailer and lottery authority; provides online lottery transaction processing systems; produces instant ticket games; and offers printing services, such as instant ticket marketing plans and graphic design, programming, packaging, shipping, and delivery services, as well as iLottery solutions and services. It also designs, develops, assembles, and provides cabinets, games, systems, and software for the gaming market, as well as offers gaming management systems for casino management, such as infrastructure and applications, customer relationship management, patron management, and server-based gaming. In addition, the company provides video lottery terminals (VLT), VLT central systems, and VLT games. Further, it offers digital products, such as slot games, blackjack, roulette, poker, bingo, and other casino card games; iGaming systems and digital platforms that offer remote game server solution; and sports betting technology and management services to licensed sports betting operators. It processes commercial transactions, such as prepaid cellular telephone recharges, bill payments, e-vouchers and retail-based programs, electronic tax payments, prepaid card recharges, and stamp duty and money transfer services. The company was formerly known as GTECH S.p.A. and changed its name to International Game Technology PLC in April 2015. The company was incorporated in 2014 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. International Game Technology PLC is a subsidiary of De Agostini S.p.A.