Six Flags narrows loss; Vail Resorts profit slips -- shares of both slide

The previous quarter was tough for amusement park operator Six Flags Inc. (NYSE: SIX), which reported a narrowed fourth-quarter loss, as well as for Vail Resorts Inc. (NYSE: MTN), the nation's largest ski resort operator, which said that its fiscal second-quarter profits were affected by a lack of snowfall early in the season.

Six Flags reported a fourth-quarter loss of $132.4 million, or $1.39 per share, compared with a loss of $195.2 million, or $2.07 per share, a year earlier, and a loss of 59 cents expected by analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial. However, the results for the prior-year period included an $89.2 million, or 95 cents per share, loss from discontinued operations.

Revenue for the period that ended December 31 rose 8% to $112.1 million, as park attendance edged up 4% to 2.8 million.

Six Flags reported a full-year loss of $275.1 million, or $2.90 per share, compared with a loss of $327.6 million, or $3.48 per share, in the previous year, and a loss of $2.92 expected by analysts. Annual revenue increased 3% to $972.8 million.

Shares of Six Flags dropped 20 cents, or about 12%, to $1.62 in morning trading.