** Shares of United Parks & Resorts PRKS.N up 3.3% to $54.43 on very thin premarket trading volume as co poised to join S&P SmallCap 600 index .SPCY next week

** PRKS, formerly SeaWorld Entertainment, to replace Foot Locker FL.N in SPCY before the bell on Mon, Sept 8, S&P Dow Jones Indices announced late Tues

** Dick's Sporting Goods DKS.N to buy FL for about $2.4 bln in deal expected to close soon, per S&P Dow Jones

** Orlando, Florida-based PRKS has ~55 mln shares outstanding for nearly $3 bln market cap

** Through Tues close, stock down 6% YTD

** Avg rating among 13 analysts is "hold" and median PT is $55, according to LSEG

(Lance Tupper is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own)

((lance.tupper@tr.com 1-646-279-6380))