Steve Klohn Sells 6,989 Shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY) Stock

Key Points

• SVP Steve Klohn sold 6,989 shares of Dave & Buster's on April 17 at an average price of $14.69, trimming his stake by 15.35% to 38,547 shares (≈$566,255), according to an SEC filing.
• The company reported Q1 EPS of ($0.35), missing estimates by $0.74 with revenue of $529.6M (below consensus), leaving negative margins and a negative ROE while the stock trades near $14.28 and the market cap is about $496M.
• Analysts have skewed negative recently—Zacks and others issued downgrades or "strong sell" calls and several price targets were cut—though the consensus rating remains a Hold with an average target of $21.83; institutional investors own roughly 91.45% of the shares.

Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAY - Get Free Report) SVP Steve Klohn sold 6,989 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.69, for a total value of $102,668.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 38,547 shares in the company, valued at $566,255.43. The trade was a 15.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Dave & Buster's Entertainment Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of PLAY traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $14.28. The stock had a trading volume of 2,905,263 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,386,120. The firm has a market cap of $496.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.99 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $13.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.13. Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. has a twelve month low of $9.61 and a twelve month high of $35.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.61, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.19.

Dave & Buster's Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The restaurant operator reported ($0.35) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.74). The firm had revenue of $529.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $556.56 million. Dave & Buster's Entertainment had a negative return on equity of 7.93% and a negative net margin of 2.32%.The firm's quarterly revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.69 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. will post 2.52 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on PLAY. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment from $22.00 to $14.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Dave & Buster's Entertainment from $23.00 to $18.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Dave & Buster's Entertainment from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Dave & Buster's Entertainment has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $21.83.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of PLAY. Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 121,847 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $3,665,000 after acquiring an additional 637 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG grew its stake in shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 24,794 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $402,000 after buying an additional 741 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 102,226 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $1,657,000 after acquiring an additional 1,254 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in Dave & Buster's Entertainment by 616.6% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,942 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 1,671 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.45% of the company's stock.

Dave & Buster's Entertainment News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Dave & Buster's Entertainment this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research issued a broad set of downward EPS revisions across 2027–2028 (multiple quarters) and cut FY2027/FY2028 forecasts, now showing negative full‑year outcomes and assigning a "Strong Sell" rating. The cuts indicate Zacks expects several upcoming quarters to be loss-making, which increases short‑term downside risk. MarketBeat: PLAY analyst note
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks specifically slashed near‑term quarterly estimates (Q1–Q4 2027 and Q1–Q4 2028), including large downgrades to Q3/Q4 quarters — signaling weaker-than-expected recovery in traffic/margin drivers. That heightens earnings execution risk and supports the "Strong Sell" stance. MarketBeat: PLAY analyst note
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks/other outlets published a FY2029 earnings outlook for PLAY reflecting continued analyst caution about longer-term profitability and the company’s ability to deleverage and return to consistent positive EPS. Continued downward revisions can pressure valuation and investor confidence. AmericanBankingNews: FY2029 Forecast
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks ran a "Bear of the Day" feature highlighting PLAY's persistently poor Zacks Rank and long history of underperformance relative to expectations — a sentiment piece that can reinforce bearish investor positioning. Zacks: Bear of the Day

About Dave & Buster's Entertainment

Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc operates a chain of combined restaurant and entertainment venues designed to appeal to families, young adults and corporate groups. Each location features a full-service restaurant and bar alongside an arcade gaming area with ticket-based redemption, virtual reality experiences and skill-based games. Many venues also include multiple large-screen televisions and a sports bar atmosphere, catering to fans who wish to watch live sporting events in a social setting.

The company was founded in 1982 by David Corriveau and James “Buster” Corley, opening its first location in Dallas, Texas.

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