New Rides Should Spur Earnings in 2009

Article Excerpt

CEDAR FAIR L.P. $14 (New York symbol FUN; Income Portfolio, Consumer sector; Units outstanding: 55.1 million; Market cap: $771.4 million; WSSF Rating: Average) plans to spend $62 million on new rides and other attractions in 2009. New attractions should help spur Cedar Fair’s attendance. Rising gasoline prices and a slowing housing market cut the number of visits by 3% in the third quarter of 2008. Consequently, revenue in the quarter fell by 4.8%, to $540.3 million from $567.5 million a year earlier. Earnings grew 68.4%, to $1.65 a unit (total $91.5 million) from $0.98 a unit ($54.1 million). However, the year-earlier quarter included a $39.2 million pre-tax restructuring charge. Cedar Fair’s long-term debt of $1.7 billion is a high 2.6 times its market cap. The company generates annual cash flow of roughly $200 million. That should help it steadily pay down its debt, as well as maintain quarterly distributions of $0.48 a unit (13.7% yield). Lower gas prices should also help Cedar…