NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of SeaWorld Entertainment (SEAS) were rising in early-afternoon trading on Tuesday after the company unveiled plans for new shows and attractions for 2017 that will cost around $175 million.
The theme park operator will add a virtual reality experience at its Orlando location, a new educational orca presentation at its San Diego park and new rides at several other locations, according to a company statement.
The educational orca show will focus on the health and enrichment of the animals by displaying how they eat, hunt, navigate and communicate.
In March, Orlando-based SeaWorld said it would stop breeding the killer whales used in its theatrical trick shows due to intense public scrutiny. The company has since moved away from purely entertainment-based productions, the Wall Street Journal notes.
The investment will result in one of the largest new attraction years in the company's history, according to a SeaWorld statement.
Separately, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author.
TheStreet Ratings rated this stock as a "hold" with a ratings score of C.
The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its increase in net income, expanding profit margins and growth in earnings per share. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including a generally disappointing performance in the stock itself, generally higher debt management risk and weak operating cash flow.
