Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at United Parks & Resorts (NYSE:PRKS) and the best and worst performers in the leisure facilities industry.

Leisure facilities companies often sell experiences rather than tangible products, and in the last decade-plus, consumers have slowly shifted their spending from "things" to "experiences". Leisure facilities seek to benefit but must innovate to do so because of the industry's high competition and capital intensity.

The 12 leisure facilities stocks we track reported a mixed Q2. As a group, revenues were in line with analysts’ consensus estimates while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 13.8% below.

Big picture, the Federal Reserve has a dual mandate of inflation and employment. The former had been running hot throughout 2021 and 2022 but cooled towards the central bank's 2% target as of late. This prompted the Fed to cut its policy rate by 50bps (half a percent) in September 2024. Given recent employment data that suggests the US economy could be wobbling, the markets will be assessing whether this rate and future cuts (the Fed signaled more to come in 2024 and 2025) are the right moves at the right time or whether they're too little, too late for a macro that has already cooled.

Leisure Facilities stocks have held steady amidst all this with average share prices relatively unchanged since the latest earnings results.

United Parks & Resorts (NYSE:PRKS)

Parent company of SeaWorld and home of the world-famous Shamu, United Parks & Resorts (NYSE:PRKS) is a theme park chain featuring marine life, live entertainment, roller coasters, and waterparks.

United Parks & Resorts reported revenues of $497.6 million, flat year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, but overall, it was a slower quarter for the company with a miss of analysts’ earnings estimates.

Interestingly, the stock is up 5.5% since reporting and currently trades at $49.24.

Read our full report on United Parks & Resorts here, it’s free.

Best Q2: Life Time (NYSE:LTH)

With over 150 locations and gyms that include saunas and steam rooms, Life Time (NYSE:LTH) is an upscale fitness club emphasizing holistic well-being and fitness.

Life Time reported revenues of $667.8 million, up 18.9% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 5.2%. The business had a stunning quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ same-store sales and earnings estimates.