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Cedar Fair Announces 2008 First Quarter Results
May
6, 2008
A
Cedar Fair Press Release
· REVENUES INCREASE $10.4 MILLION ON 20% MORE OPERATING DAYS
· STRENGTH IN EARLY SEASON PASS SALES
SANDUSKY, OHIO, May 6, 2008 -- Cedar Fair Entertainment
Company (NYSE: FUN), a leader in regional amusement parks,
water parks and active entertainment, today announced
results for the first quarter ended March 30, 2008.
Historically, first quarter results represent less than 5%
of the Company’s full-year revenues.
Net revenues for the first quarter increased $10.4 million,
or 35%, to $40.4 million from $30.0 million in 2007.
Operating results for the fiscal first quarter of 2008
reflect five additional calendar days compared to last
year’s first quarter. In addition, 2008 first quarter
results benefited from an early Easter/Spring Break season
which fell during the second quarter in 2007.
“As part of our strategy for expanding the operating season
at the newly acquired parks, several of which are located in
warmer climates, we were able to open both Kings Dominion
and California’s Great America a week earlier than in prior
years to take advantage of the early spring holiday,” said
Dick Kinzel, chairman, president and chief executive
officer. In total, the number of park operating days in the
first quarter increased by 41 days when compared with the
first quarter of 2007. Of the additional park operating
days, 22 are attributable to the earlier park openings and
the remaining 19 days are related to having five extra days
in the quarter compared to last year.
Operating results for the first quarter include normal
off-season operating, maintenance and administrative
expenses at the Company’s seasonal amusement and water
parks, and daily operations at Knott’s Berry Farm, Castaway
Bay and Star Trek: The Experience. The operating loss for
the first quarter increased to $56.4 million from $50.9
million in 2007, primarily the result of the additional five
days in the current fiscal quarter. This increase was
slightly offset by the earlier park openings and a reduction
in costs at our Geauga Lake property which will operate
exclusively as a water park in 2008. “Only six of our 18
properties were in operation at the end of the first
quarter. The other parks, including our largest parks: Cedar
Point and Kings Island, located in Ohio, and Canada’s
Wonderland in Toronto, were in the final stages of preparing
to open for their operating seasons in April and May,”
explained Kinzel. “These pre-season operating costs were
in-line with our expectations for the quarter.”
Interest expense for the first quarter decreased 2% to $32.8
million compared with $33.4 million in 2007, the net result
of lower rates on the Company’s debt offset by an extra five
days of interest expense in the current quarter. A net
credit for taxes of $44.8 million was recorded to account
for the tax attributes of the Company’s corporate
subsidiaries and publicly traded partnership taxes during
the first quarter of 2008 compared with a net credit for
taxes of $29.3 million in the same period a year ago.
After interest expense and provision for taxes, the net loss
for the first quarter ended March 30, 2008, totaled $43.8
million, or $0.81 per diluted limited partner unit. For the
first quarter ended March 25, 2007, the Company reported a
net loss of $55.1 million, or $1.02 per diluted limited
partner unit.
Cash and Liquidity
“We ended the first quarter of 2008 in sound financial
condition in terms of both liquidity and cash flow,” said
Kinzel. As of March 30, 2008, the Company had $1.7 billion
of variable-rate debt and $137.8 million in borrowings under
its revolving credit facilities. Of the total term debt,
$17.5 million is scheduled to mature within the next twelve
months. Kinzel also noted that credit facilities and cash
flow from operations are expected to be sufficient to meet
working capital needs, debt service, planned capital
expenditures and regular quarterly cash distributions for
the foreseeable future.
2008 Operating Season
Commenting on the upcoming season Kinzel said, “While the
first quarter is not a meaningful part of our full-year
financial performance, we are hopeful that early-season
trends will continue into the summer. We have made a
concentrated effort to add value to our season pass
offerings, and as a result sales are trending ahead of last
year in both average unit price and total passes sold. We
also have a strong capital program in place for 2008 that
features a variety of new shows and attractions across all
of our parks, including five roller coasters, three thrill
rides and 18 new live shows.”
To date the Company has seven of its ten seasonal amusement
parks in operation and Cedar Point and Valleyfair are
scheduled to open this weekend. “It is no secret that the
broader economy is not as healthy as it could be. This is
something we have been dealing with on a regional basis in
the Midwest for several years now with some good success. We
believe our high quality parks and resorts will continue to
fulfill the need for entertainment with families that don’t
want to travel long distances for vacation. Our employees
have worked hard to prepare the parks for opening and the
feedback from customers has been very positive. We are
hopeful the outstanding value we offer in a full day of
entertainment will prove to be desirable this season and for
many years to come,” concluded Kinzel.
The company will host a conference call with analysts today,
May 6, 2008, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, which will be web
cast live in “listen only” mode via the Cedar Fair web site
(www.cedarfair.com). It will also be available for replay
starting at approximately 5:00 p.m. ET, Tuesday, May 6,
2008, until 11:59 p.m. ET, Tuesday, May 20, 2008. In order
to access the replay of the earnings call, please dial
1-800-406-7325 followed by the access code 3870676.
Cedar Fair is a publicly traded partnership headquartered in
Sandusky, Ohio, and one of the largest regional
amusement-resort operators in the world. The Company owns
and operates 11 amusement parks, six outdoor water parks,
one indoor water park and five hotels. Amusement parks in
the company’s Northern Region include two in Ohio: Cedar
Point, consistently voted “Best Amusement Park in the World”
in Amusement Today polls and Kings Island; as well as
Canada’s Wonderland, near Toronto; Dorney Park, PA;
Valleyfair, MN; and Michigan’s Adventure, MI. In the
Southern Region are Kings Dominion, VA; Carowinds, NC; and
Worlds of Fun, MO. Western parks in California include:
Knott’s Berry Farm; California’s Great America; and Gilroy
Gardens, which is managed under contract. Also included in
that region is Star Trek: The Experience, a Las Vegas-based
interactive adventure.
Some of the statements contained in this news release
constitute forward-looking statements. These statements may
involve risk and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those described in such
statements. Although the Company believes that the
expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements
are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such
expectations will prove to have been correct. Important
factors, including general economic conditions, competition
for consumer leisure time and spending, adverse weather
conditions, unanticipated construction delays and other
factors could affect attendance at our parks and cause
actual results to differ materially from the Company’s
expectations. In addition, risks and uncertainties
concerning the acquisition of the Paramount Parks include,
but are not limited to the ability of the Company to combine
the operations and take advantage of growth, savings and
synergy opportunities. |