Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Forecast for PLAY Earnings

Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAY - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q2 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Dave & Buster's Entertainment in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, June 24th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the restaurant operator will post earnings per share of $0.80 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $0.65. 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 Q3 2026 earnings at ($0.90) EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.75 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $1.41 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.84 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at ($0.60) EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.88 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.08 EPS and Q1 2028 earnings at $0.80 EPS.

Dave & Buster's Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 10th. The restaurant operator reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.96 by ($0.20). Dave & Buster's Entertainment had a net margin of 1.83% and a return on equity of 40.67%. The company had revenue of $567.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $572.12 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.99 earnings per share. Dave & Buster's Entertainment's revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 11th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment from $18.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 11th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Dave & Buster's Entertainment from $22.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Dave & Buster's Entertainment from $22.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price objective on Dave & Buster's Entertainment from $35.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Dave & Buster's Entertainment presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $33.83.

Dave & Buster's Entertainment Price Performance

Dave & Buster's Entertainment stock traded down $0.32 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $30.13. 781,201 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,440,370. The company has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.83 and a beta of 2.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.69, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio of 0.26. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $23.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $23.59. Dave & Buster's Entertainment has a 52-week low of $15.08 and a 52-week high of $43.73.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dave & Buster's Entertainment

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Parallax Volatility Advisers L.P. increased its stake in shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. Parallax Volatility Advisers L.P. now owns 7,441 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $217,000 after acquiring an additional 632 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 18,407 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $537,000 after acquiring an additional 728 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment by 442.0% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,561 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,273 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 20,618 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $602,000 after purchasing an additional 1,479 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment during the fourth quarter valued at $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.45% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP John Mulleady sold 5,931 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.79, for a total transaction of $194,477.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 42,550 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,395,214.50. This represents a 12.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.02% 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.