Zacks Research Analysts Decrease Earnings Estimates for PLAY

Key Points

• Zacks Research has reduced its earnings estimates for Dave & Buster's Entertainment, projecting a Q3 2026 loss of ($1.19) per share, down from a previous estimate of ($0.90).
• The stock currently holds a "Strong Sell" rating from Zacks, with a consensus price target of $31.33 and a broader analyst sentiment showing six holds and two buys.
• In recent trading, shares of Dave & Buster's opened at $18.16, reflecting significant volatility with a 52-week range between $15.08 and $43.73.

Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAY - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for Dave & Buster's Entertainment in a research note issued to investors on Monday, September 29th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the restaurant operator will earn ($1.19) per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of ($0.90). Zacks Research currently has a "Strong Sell" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Dave & Buster's Entertainment's current full-year earnings is $2.52 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Dave & Buster's Entertainment's Q4 2026 earnings at $0.51 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $0.48 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.53 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at ($0.76) EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.36 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $0.91 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $0.43 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $0.93 EPS.

PLAY has been the topic of a number of other reports. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 11th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment from $29.00 to $25.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on Dave & Buster's Entertainment from $35.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 11th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their target price on Dave & Buster's Entertainment from $27.00 to $22.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $31.33.

Dave & Buster's Entertainment Price Performance

Shares of PLAY opened at $18.16 on Wednesday. The business's 50-day moving average is $24.63 and its 200-day moving average is $24.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.32, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The company has a market capitalization of $629.61 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.41 and a beta of 2.04. Dave & Buster's Entertainment has a fifty-two week low of $15.08 and a fifty-two week high of $43.73.

Dave & Buster's Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, September 15th. The restaurant operator reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.60). Dave & Buster's Entertainment had a net margin of 0.46% and a return on equity of 29.24%. The business had revenue of $557.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $565.43 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.99 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis.

Insider Transactions at Dave & Buster's Entertainment

In other Dave & Buster's Entertainment news, CEO Tarun Lal bought 8,060 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $31.26 per share, with a total value of $251,955.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 8,060 shares of the company's stock, valued at $251,955.60. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.02% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment by 99.9% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 999,554 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $30,067,000 after purchasing an additional 499,412 shares during the last quarter. Clearline Capital LP boosted its stake in Dave & Buster's Entertainment by 17.7% during the 1st quarter. Clearline Capital LP now owns 1,349,236 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $23,706,000 after purchasing an additional 203,012 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Dave & Buster's Entertainment by 147.1% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 329,008 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $9,897,000 after purchasing an additional 195,834 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Dave & Buster's Entertainment in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $2,453,000. Finally, Manatuck Hill Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Dave & Buster's Entertainment in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $3,610,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.45% of the company's stock.

About Dave & Buster's Entertainment

Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc owns and operates entertainment and dining venues for adults and families. Its venues offer a menu of entrees and appetizers, as well as a selection of non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages; and an assortment of entertainment attractions centered on playing games and watching live sports, and other televised events.

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