Zacks Research Brokers Reduce Earnings Estimates for PLAY

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:PLAY) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q3 2025 EPS estimates for Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in a report released on Monday, November 25th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the restaurant operator will earn ($0.43) per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of ($0.34). The consensus estimate for Dave & Buster’s Entertainment’s current full-year earnings is $2.62 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Dave & Buster’s Entertainment’s Q3 2026 earnings at ($0.30) EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.95 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.99 EPS and Q3 2027 earnings at ($0.35) EPS.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, September 10th. The restaurant operator reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.28. Dave & Buster’s Entertainment had a net margin of 5.10% and a return on equity of 51.75%. The firm had revenue of $557.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $560.65 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.94 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from $59.00 to $56.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from $55.00 to $51.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. StockNews.com cut shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Benchmark started coverage on shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in a research note on Monday, October 7th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their price objective on shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from $63.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.57.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Stock Performance

Shares of PLAY stock opened at $37.62 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $35.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.54, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a current ratio of 0.24. Dave & Buster’s Entertainment has a 1 year low of $29.31 and a 1 year high of $69.82. The firm has a market cap of $1.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.73 and a beta of 2.13.

Insider Transactions at Dave & Buster’s Entertainment

In other Dave & Buster’s Entertainment news, CEO Christopher Daniel Morris purchased 14,912 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $33.67 per share, for a total transaction of $502,087.04. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 83,847 shares in the company, valued at $2,823,128.49. This represents a 21.63 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dave & Buster’s Entertainment

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment by 1,931.4% in the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 38,698 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,541,000 after purchasing an additional 36,793 shares in the last quarter. Eminence Capital LP lifted its position in shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment by 69.3% during the 2nd quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 3,768,476 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $150,023,000 after acquiring an additional 1,542,154 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $5,191,000. LMR Partners LLP purchased a new position in Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $3,167,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Dave & Buster’s Entertainment by 32.8% during the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 206,535 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $8,222,000 after purchasing an additional 51,022 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.45% of the company’s stock.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Company Profile

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.