SeaWorld's full-year revenue may meet expectations
ORLANDO, Fla. - SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. (SEAS) said Monday that it expects to report 2013 revenue of about $1.46 billion for the year, which it says would mark an annual record for the theme park operator.
It would also match the revenue
forecasts of analysts polled by FactSet. It is scheduled to report its full
results for the quarter in March.
SeaWorld said the results were driven
by record fourth-quarter attendance at its parks in San Diego, Orlando, Fla.,
and San Antonio, Texas.
SeaWorld's shares jumped $1.13, or 3.8
percent, to $30.58 in midday trading.
The documentary argues that killer
whales, when in captivity, become more aggressive to humans and each other.
The movie raised some concerns that attendance
at its park would suffer and prompted several recording artists to pull out of a concert series at one of its parks.
SeaWorld has defended its practices.
It took out newspaper ads said that the marine park company hasn't taken a wild
killer whale into captivity for 35 years due to its successful breeding
program. It also said that SeaWorld doesn't separate killer whale mothers and
calves and that the company has invested $70 million over the past three years
in its parks' killer whale habitats. The
company also characterized the film in a statement this summer as
"shamefully dishonest, deliberately misleading, and scientifically
inaccurate."