Orlando Hotel Occupancy Fell on Epic Universe's Opening Weekend
Hotel occupancy was lower than expected on the opening weekend of Comcast Corp. 's $7 billion Epic Universe theme park, according to analysis from market researcher CoStar Group Inc.
Hotel demand on the park's first day, May 22, was 'especially lackluster,' as reflected in a 57.2% occupancy rate for the overall Orlando, Florida, market, analyst Chantal Wu wrote in a report on Tuesday. That was a 7.4% decline from a year earlier.
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It recently opened its 1,000th store, up from 500 when it went public almost four years ago, and it's aiming to double its footprint again over the next five or so years. Over the long term, management sees the opportunity to expand to more than 7,000 stores, giving it a long growth runway and offering a compelling investing thesis. It's not just winning by opening new stores, though. Same-store sales increased 4.7% year over year in the first quarter, driving revenue growth of 29%. It's also become profitable, and net income increased by 39% in the first quarter. From a valuation perspective, Dutch Bros stock is the most expensive stock on this list, trading at 88 times next year's expected earnings. But the market is giving the company a premium due to its strong growth and ample opportunities, and buying the stock today should be a rewarding choice for patient investors. Dutch Bros is also crushing the market this year, up 34%. Carnival is an oldie but goodie that's still recovering from the moves it had to make during the early part of the pandemic, when all of its cruise ships were idled for more than a year. It has made an incredible comeback from those difficult times, and it's fielding record-high demand for spots on its cruises today. In its fiscal 2025 first quarter (which ended Feb. 28), revenue increased 7.4% year over year to $5.8 billion, and operating income nearly doubled to $543 million. Bookings for fiscal 2026 increased to record levels for a period this far in advance, and its bookings through the rest of 2025 are also near the best the company has seen. It's also averaging historically high ticket prices, and generating strong revenue from preboarding sales of non-ticket items. The company is preparing new ships, with several in line to launch over the next few years, and it's investing in its touring assets, such as the opening of its exclusive Celebration Key resort this summer. 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