MLP’s offer high yield and growth

Article Excerpt

CEDAR FAIR L.P. $29 (New York symbol FUN; Income Portfolio, Consumer sector; Units outstanding: 54.1 million; Market cap: $1.6 billion; WSSF Rating: Average) is a Master Limited Partnership that owns 12 amusement parks, six water parks and six hotels. In 2006, Cedar Fair’s profits fell 45.7%, to $1.59 a unit (total $87.5 million) from $2.93 a unit ($160.9 million) in 2005. Most of the drop is due to higher interest and depreciation costs following Cedar Fair’s $1.24 billion purchase of five Paramount theme parks. The new assets increased revenue for the year by 46.2%, to $831.4 million from $568.7 million. On a same-park basis, revenue fell less than 1%. Most people travel by car to these parks, so higher gas prices hurt attendance. But higher in-park spending and other revenues helped offset this. The partnership’s lenders recently agreed to let the partnership cut the interest rate on its $1.8 billion long-term debt, which is a high 4.3 times equity. This will save it…