Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAY) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Posted by on May 20th, 2026

Shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAY – Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eight brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $21.8333.

Several brokerages have weighed in on PLAY. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Zacks Research cut shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. 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. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from $22.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Dave & Buster’s Entertainment

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Dave & Buster’s Entertainment news, 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 transaction of $102,668.41. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 38,547 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $566,255.43. This represents a 15.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.73% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dave & Buster’s Entertainment

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ruffer LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in the 4th quarter worth about $2,111,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,834,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment by 232.3% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 634,148 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $10,280,000 after purchasing an additional 443,308 shares during the period. Clearline Capital LP lifted its position in shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment by 20.4% in the 3rd quarter. Clearline Capital LP now owns 1,619,964 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $29,419,000 after purchasing an additional 274,541 shares during the period. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its position in shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment by 236.9% in the 3rd quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 336,900 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $6,118,000 after purchasing an additional 236,900 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.45% of the company’s stock.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Price Performance

PLAY stock opened at $10.72 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.61, a quick ratio of 0.19 and a current ratio of 0.29. Dave & Buster’s Entertainment has a 52 week low of $9.61 and a 52 week high of $35.53. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $12.06 and its 200 day moving average is $15.13. The firm has a market cap of $372.41 million, a P/E ratio of -7.50 and a beta of 1.78.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The restaurant operator reported ($0.35) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.39 by ($0.74). The business 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 net margin of 2.32% and a negative return on equity of 7.93%. Dave & Buster’s Entertainment’s revenue for the quarter was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.69 EPS. Research analysts predict that Dave & Buster’s Entertainment will post -0.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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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Analyst Recommendations for Dave & Buster's Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY)

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