Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY) Stock Price & Analysis
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY) closed at USD 7.46 on Thursday, October 22, 2026, up 3.18% on the day. The US market is currently closed (pre-market); this is not a live price.
The prior close was USD 7.23; the Oct 22, 2026 session ranged USD 7.11–7.52 on volume of 1,334,979 shares. Market capitalization is $259.84M, with a 52-week range of USD 6.26–22.1 (NMS). Source: Nexqual, retrieved October 23, 2026 at 11:23 UTC.
Also available as compact Markdown for AI agents: nexqual.com/PLAY.md
Key facts (PLAY)
- Last four reported quarters (through Aug 4, 2026): revenue $2.08B, net income -$88.6M (-4.3% margin), free cash flow -$16.0M (SEC filings).
- 1 of 80 tracked superinvestors hold PLAY (13F, Q2 2026): 0 new, 0 added, 1 reduced, 0 unchanged.
- Analysts: Hold (mean 2.70 on a 1–5 scale) (10 analysts), mean target USD 13 (range 9–22).
- Total return with dividends: 1Y -58.0% vs S&P 500 +14.9%; 5Y -80.5% vs S&P 500 +80.3%.
- Next earnings: 2026-12-08, EPS estimate USD -1.43, revenue estimate $449M.
Financials (SEC 10-K; TTM = last four 10-Q/10-K quarters) (PLAY)
| USD | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 | FY2026 | TTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $1.30B | $1.96B | $2.21B | $2.13B | $2.10B | $2.08B |
| Gross profit | $1.10B | $1.64B | $1.85B | $1.82B | $1.80B | — |
| Operating income | $187M | $263M | $307M | $220M | $86.1M | $36.2M |
| Net income | $109M | $137M | $127M | $58.3M | -$48.7M | -$88.6M |
| EPS (diluted) | $2.21 | $2.79 | $2.88 | $1.46 | -$1.40 | — |
| Free cash flow | $191M | $210M | $34.0M | -$218M | -$101M | -$16.0M |
| Gross margin | 84.3% | 83.5% | 84.0% | 85.3% | 85.7% | — |
| Operating margin | 14.4% | 13.4% | 13.9% | 10.3% | 4.1% | 1.7% |
| Net margin | 8.3% | 7.0% | 5.8% | 2.7% | -2.3% | -4.3% |
| Revenue growth | +198.7% | +50.6% | +12.3% | -3.3% | -1.4% | — |
| Cash + short-term investments | $25.9M | $182M | $37.3M | $6.9M | $16.6M | — |
| Total debt | $440M | $1.29B | $1.34B | $1.52B | $1.55B | — |
Fiscal years end Feb. EPS is split-adjusted.
Valuation (price ÷ last four quarters, through Aug 4, 2026) (PLAY)
P/S 0.1x · EV/EBITDA 5.4x · EV/Sales 0.8x · P/B 3.0x · FCF yield -6.16% · Earnings yield -34.10% · Buyback yield (TTM) 0.00% · Net debt $1.52B · EV $1.78B
P/E at fiscal year-ends: Feb 2025 14.3x, Feb 2024 21.4x.
Superinvestors (SEC 13F-HR, Q2 2026) (PLAY)
1 of 80 tracked investors hold PLAY. Each row is the investor's latest 13F; change is vs their prior-quarter share count.
| Investor | Firm | % of portfolio | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samantha McLemore | Patient Capital Management | 0.08% | $2.3M | Reduced -82.3% |
Analysts (PLAY)
Consensus Hold (mean 2.70 on a 1–5 scale), 10 analysts; mean target USD 13 (low 9, high 22).
Rating changes, last 120 days:
| Date | Firm | Action | Rating | Price target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-15 | UBS | Target lowered | Neutral | $12 → $9 |
| 2026-09-15 | BMO Capital | Target lowered | Outperform | $22 → $13 |
| 2026-09-15 | Freedom Capital Markets | Target lowered | Hold | $13 → $9 |
| 2026-06-29 | Citizens | Initiated | Market Perform |
Total return (dividends reinvested) (PLAY)
| 1Y (from 2025-10-23) | 5Y (from 2021-10-18) | |
|---|---|---|
| Total return | -58.0% | -80.5% |
| S&P 500 (SPY) | +14.9% | +80.3% |
| Per year | -58.1% | -27.8% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 74.5% | 58.8% |
| Max drawdown | -69.9% (Jan 2026→Sep 2026) | -89.8% (Apr 2024→Sep 2026) |
PLAY revenue by product line (quarter ended Aug 4, 2026)
| Line | Revenue | Share of total | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entertainment revenues | $332.6M | 61.1% | -8.8% |
| — Entertainment (part of Entertainment revenues) | $326.8M | 60.1% | -8.8% |
| — Other (part of Entertainment revenues) | $5.8M | 1.1% | -7.9% |
| Food and beverage revenues | $211.5M | 38.9% | +9.6% |
| — Food and non-alcoholic beverages (part of Food and beverage revenues) | $151.4M | 27.8% | +11.3% |
| — Alcoholic beverages (part of Food and beverage revenues) | $60.1M | 11.0% | +5.6% |
| Total revenue | $544.1M | 100% | — |
As tagged by the company in its SEC 10-Q / 10-K filings (XBRL).
PLAY analyst estimates and revisions
| Period | EPS estimate | 90 days ago | Change | Revenue estimate | Analysts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current quarter (ends Oct 2026) | $-1.43 | $-1.24 | +15.3% | $449.0M | 8 |
| Next quarter (ends Jan 2027) | $-0.19 | $-0.06 | +193.8% | $541.7M | 8 |
| Current fiscal year (ends Jan 2027) | $-1.66 | $-0.89 | +87.5% | $2.09B | 8 |
| Next fiscal year (ends Jan 2028) | $-1.39 | $-0.55 | +152.8% | $2.16B | 7 |
PLAY options: expected move
Options price a move of about ±26.0% (±$1.90) by Dec 18, 2026, which includes earnings on Dec 8, 2026; the earnings reaction alone is priced at about ±11.2%. Over the last 8 reports the stock moved ±15.2% on average.
| Expiration | Days | ATM implied volatility | Expected move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 20, 2026 | 28 | 75.1% | ±17.4% |
| Dec 18, 2026 | 56 | 82.5% | ±26.0% |
| Jan 15, 2027 | 84 | 79.6% | ±30.4% |
| Apr 16, 2027 | 175 | 79.5% | ±41.0% |
30-day implied volatility 76.5% vs 87.4% realized over the last 30 trading days. Put/call ratio (volume) 1.4. Cboe delayed quotes (15 min). Expected move = at-the-money straddle.
Key Statistics (as of October 23, 2026 at 11:23 UTC)
| Price | USD 7.46 |
|---|---|
| Change | ▲ 3.18% (up) |
| Previous Close | USD 7.23 |
| Open | USD 7.13 |
| Day Range | USD 7.11 – 7.52 |
| 52-Week Range | USD 6.26 – 22.1 |
| Volume | 1,334,979 shares |
| Market Cap | $259.84M |
| Exchange | NMS |
Technical Analysis (PLAY)
Nexqual's technical model rates PLAY "NEUTRAL" based on 2 bullish and 3 bearish signals across 127 daily candles, as of October 23, 2026 at 11:23 UTC.
| Overall Signal | NEUTRAL |
|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 48.83 (neutral) |
| vs SMA50 | Below (USD 8.01) |
| MACD | -0.05 (negative) |
Analyst Ratings (PLAY)
Wall Street analysts rate PLAY "Hold" based on 10 analysts, with a mean price target of USD 13 (range USD 9–22), per Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 11:23 UTC.
| Consensus Rating | Hold |
|---|---|
| Analyst Count | 10 |
| Mean Target | USD 13 |
| High Target | USD 22 |
| Low Target | USD 9 |
| Buy / Hold / Sell | 3 / 7 / 0 |
Earnings (PLAY)
| Next Earnings Date | 2026-12-08 |
|---|---|
| EPS Estimate | USD -1.43 |
| Revenue Estimate | $449.04M |
Recent Earnings History
| Quarter | Actual vs Estimate |
|---|---|
| 2026-07-31 | USD -0.27 vs est 0.19 ▼ miss |
| 2026-04-30 | USD 0.22 vs est 0.66 ▼ miss |
| 2026-01-31 | USD -0.35 vs est 0.46 ▼ miss |
| 2025-10-31 | USD -1.14 vs est -1.04 ▼ miss |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 11:23 UTC.
Financials & Fundamentals (PLAY)
| Total Revenue | $2.08B |
|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (latest quarter, YoY) | -2.40% |
| Gross Margin | +38.29% |
| Operating Margin | +4.39% |
| Profit Margin | -4.26% |
| ROE | -69.74% |
| Debt / Equity | 40.8 |
| Current Ratio | 0.3 |
| Total Cash | $16.00M |
| Total Debt | $3.59B |
| Free Cash Flow (last four quarters to Aug 2026, SEC 10-Q / 10-K) | -$16.00M (-0.8% of revenue) |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 11:23 UTC.
Financial Health Score (PLAY)
Nexqual rates Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.'s overall financial health "Weak" across five dimensions, as of October 23, 2026 at 11:23 UTC.
| Growth | Weak — Revenue -1% YoY (annual), declining |
|---|---|
| Profitability | Mixed — Gross margin 38%, operating 4% (last 12 months) |
| Balance Sheet | Critical — $16M cash and investments vs $1.53B debt (Aug 2026, SEC) |
| Cash Flow | Weak — FCF negative: -$16M (last 4 quarters to Aug 2026, SEC), burning cash |
| Efficiency | Critical — ROE -70%, ROA 1.1% |
Ownership (PLAY)
| Insider Ownership | +5.16% |
|---|---|
| Institutional Ownership | +120.69% |
| Shares Outstanding | 34.83M |
| Float | 26.39M |
| Short % of Float | +35.85% |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 11:23 UTC.
Leadership (PLAY)
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. is led by Darin E. Harper, CEO & Director, per Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 11:23 UTC.
| CEO & Director | Darin E. Harper |
|---|---|
| President of International Development | Antonio Bautista |
| President of Main Event | Tony Wehner |
| Interim CFO, Head of Entertainment Finance, Investor Relations & Treasurer | Cory Hatton |
| Chief Technology & Digital Officer | Kevin Fish |
Major Backers & Investors (PLAY)
Notable institutional backers of Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. include Hill Path Capital, LP, Nomura Holdings Inc., Goldman Sachs, according to Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 11:23 UTC.
Active Investors
| Investor | Stake |
|---|---|
| Hill Path Capital, LP | 20.44% |
| Nomura Holdings Inc. | 6.92% |
| Goldman Sachs | 6.16% |
| Arrowstreet Capital, Limited Partnership | 5.18% |
| Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund | 4.18% |
| Wolf Hill Capital Management, LP | 3.9% |
| SG Americas Securities, LLC | 3.22% |
| Morgan Stanley | 3.01% |
Index Funds (Passive)
| Fund | Stake |
|---|---|
| BlackRock | 9.25% |
| Vanguard Group | 3.34% |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 11:23 UTC.
From Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.'s Latest SEC 10-K Filing (filed 2026-03-31)
Key Strengths & Strategy (as disclosed to the SEC)
- In recent years, we have modified our menus for simplified execution and made kitchen enhancements to allow us to deliver dishes to customers faster and drive an improved customer experience.
- Our favorable store economics allow us to target new store returns of at least 30% and 25% cash-on-cash returns over one and five-year periods, respectively.
- The experience and established relationships derived from our development team enable us to focus our attention on the most relevant network of real estate brokers, which gives us access to a large pool of qualified potential store sites.
- We believe the smaller store format allows us to reduce capital investment risk per store and enter smaller markets that would not have warranted the investment of a larger box.
Legal & Regulatory Risks (Item 1A, quoted)
- Compliance with cybersecurity, privacy and similar laws may involve significant cost and any failure to comply could adversely affect our business, reputation, and results of operations.
- We may not be able to operate our stores or obtain/maintain licenses and permits necessary for such operation, in compliance with laws, regulations and other requirements, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.
- Litigation, including allegations of illegal, unfair, or inconsistent employment practices, may adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.
- Our certificate of incorporation designates specific courts as the exclusive forum for certain litigation that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders' ability to obtain a judicial forum of their choice for disputes with us.
Source: SEC EDGAR 10-K, official filing. Curated by Nexqual.
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| HUYA | HUYA Inc. | USD 2.23 | ▼ 0.89% |
| RSVR | Reservoir Media, Inc.. | USD 9.6 | ▲ 0.84% |
| ANGX | Angel Studios, Inc. | USD 3.48 | ▼ 0.29% |
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Data source: Nexqual — market data, technical indicators, analyst consensus, earnings, SEC EDGAR filings. Last updated: October 23, 2026 at 11:23 UTC. This page is informational and not investment advice.
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