ORLANDO, Fla. -- SeaWorld Entertainment stock jumped Wednesday after rumors circulated that Six Flags could be looking to buy some of the company's parks.

  • Rumors circulate of Six Flags interest in SeaWorld
  • SeaWorld Entertainment stock jumped Wednesday
  • SeaWorld has been seeing uptick in revenue, attendance

Shares were up 3.77 percent by the time the New York Stock Exchange closed.

The rumor, which was first shared by blogger Themed Reality, states that Texas-based Six Flags is currently in talks to purchase "all or part" of SeaWorld's assets. That could include SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and parks in other states such as Texas.

Both Six Flags and SeaWorld operate parks in San Antonio.

When reached for comment, a SeaWorld spokesman said the company doesn't comment on "speculation or rumors."

The rumors come just days after SeaWorld reported strong third quarter earnings. The Orlando-based company posted increased attendance and revenue at its parks.

In recent years, SeaWorld has been working to recover from falling attendance, mostly due to bad publicity from the 2013 documentary Blackfish.

SeaWorld's plan has been to increase the number of attractions at its parks, opening new ones every year. For 2019, the company is set to open a Sesame Street land in Orlando and a multi-launch coaster in Tampa.

SeaWorld has been the subject of a sale rumor in the past. Last year, Bloomberg News reported that UK-based Merlin Entertainment was looking to make a bid for SeaWorld. Merlin owns Legoland parks and Madame Tussauds.

 

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