DAVE AND BUSTERS ENTERTAINMENT INC (PLAY)
Consumer Discretionary · Out-of-home entertainment / leisure and dining · NASDAQ
An owner and operator of large-format "eat-and-play" entertainment venues combining high-tech arcade gaming, sports viewing, and casual dining under the Dave & Buster's and Main Event brands.
What DAVE AND BUSTERS ENTERTAINMENT INC does
Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. owns and operates a network of entertainment and dining venues across North America under the Dave & Buster's and Main Event brands. The company's business model centers on an integrated "Eat, Drink, Play, and Watch" experience, offering a full-service food and beverage menu alongside extensive arcade gaming, virtual reality, bowling, and live sports viewing. The company also operates an early-stage international franchise program for the Dave & Buster's brand.
Recent developments
Darin Harper was appointed Chief Executive Officer effective August 2026. The company reported a 2.4% revenue decrease for the second quarter of 2026 and continues to execute its "Back-to-Basics" strategy, with recent store remodels showing outperformance in same-store sales.
From DAVE AND BUSTERS ENTERTAINMENT INC's filing of 2026-09-14.
Themes: experiential retail, leisure and hospitality, social dining and gaming, family entertainment centers
Fundamentals
- Price$6.97 as of 2026-10-08 close
- Market cap$243M as of 2026-09-09 (share count; price 2026-10-08)
- 1-year return-60.5% 2025-10-08 close $17.63 → 2026-10-08 close $6.97
- P/En/a negative earnings
- Net margin-2.3% FY2026, SEC XBRL
- ROE-53.4% FY2026, SEC XBRL
- Debt / equity19.30 as of 2026-09-02
- Revenue growth (YoY)-0.8% as of 2026-09-02
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+2.3% SEC XBRL
- Beta1.27 as of 2026-09-02
- Last reported earnings2026-09-14 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
Dividend: at least 2 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer.
How PLAY compares in its sector
- net profit marginbottom 25% 314 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-09-02
- operating marginmiddle range 281 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-09-02
- return on equitybottom 10% 293 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-09-02
- 3-year revenue CAGRmiddle range 326 covered Consumer Discretionary peers
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)bottom 10% 311 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of FY2026
Position among covered Consumer Discretionary companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Dividend coverage
Not assessed — last reported dividend predates the accounts. The most recent fiscal year in which PLAY reported a dividend payment is FY2021, while its reported financial statements run through FY2026. Coverage is therefore not assessed for the latest year — an FY2021 ratio would not describe PLAY today.
Coverage is derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures, comparing dividends paid against net income and free cash flow for the SAME fiscal year. It is not shown here because the latest fiscal year with a reported dividend payment (FY2021) is older than the latest year of reported financial statements (FY2026), so any ratio would describe an out-of-date year. Informational only — not financial advice.
How DAVE AND BUSTERS ENTERTAINMENT INC looks technically
DAVE AND BUSTERS ENTERTAINMENT INC (PLAY) is trading 43.7% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend. Its 50-day average crossed below its 200-day average about 254 trading days ago — a "death cross", a bearish long-term signal. A strong downtrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 29, with sellers in control. Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 44, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bullish about 6 trading days ago (its momentum flipped positive). It made a new 20-day low about 7 trading days ago. It is 68.5% below its highest point of the past year.
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 43.7% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend | -43.7% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $8.63 | $8.63 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $12.38 | $12.38 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been lower than the one before it and each dip deeper — the pattern chart-watchers call a downtrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | lower highs and lower lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing low 7 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 7 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a five-part downward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in the fourth leg, a pullback against that downward direction; the labelling fails if price closes above 9.4. It is one of several labellings that fit, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. The same swings also read as a completed three-part correction. | possible downward five-wave sequence, in wave 4 (one of several readings) |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed below its 200-day average about 254 trading days ago — a "death cross", a bearish long-term signal | 254 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | a strong downtrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 29, with sellers in control | 29.3 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 44, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 43.7 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading in the upper half of its 14-day range ($6.26 to $7.23) — its "stochastic" reading is 73 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been climbing within that range over the last few sessions. | 73.2 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bullish about 6 trading days ago (its momentum flipped positive) | 6 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $22.10 | $22.10 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 68.5% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -68.5% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 11.3% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +11.3% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 68.5% below its highest point of the past year | 68.5% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day low about 7 trading days ago | 7 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day low about 7 trading days ago | 7 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $73.48 (set on 2017-06-08) | $73.48 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($6.38 to $21.17), and it has recovered only a small part of its fall from last year’s high — 4% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $15.52 to $15.99. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 4.0% |
| From the all-time high | it is 90.5% below its all-time high | -90.5% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 38.5% below a resistance level at $9.65 — a price it turned at twice since 2026-03-27, most recently on 2026-05-18. Since 2024-10-08 it has 0 such levels below the current price and 18 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | +38.5% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $4.61 (set on 2020-03-18) | $4.61 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 51.4% above its all-time low | +51.4% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are about average versus its own recent 6-month history | 51st percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $0.4652 between its high and its low — about 6.7% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $0.4652 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $5.82 and $7.90 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $5.82 – $6.86 – $7.90 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 6.7% in a typical session — more volatile than most companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 6.7% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 11.6 daily ranges below its 200-day average price (43.7% below it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 11.6 daily ranges below its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 0.71× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts' average price target is unchanged from the prior reading | 0.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | the analyst consensus rating is unchanged since the prior reading | unchanged |
Candlestick patterns
1
| Since a bullish engulfing | today it opened below the previous session's close and finished above that session's open — a "bullish engulfing" pair, where one up day more than undid the down day before it | today |
|---|
Price gaps
3
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-10-08 1.1% below the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and traded back through that level before the close | -1.1% |
|---|---|---|
| Open gap | it gapped 10.9% below the previous close 17 sessions ago and has not traded back through the level it left behind at 8.47 — an "unfilled gap", which describes a price range no trade has since crossed and is not a forecast that it will be crossed | -10.9% |
| Gap filled | a 2.0% gap up opened on 2026-09-29 has been "filled" 6 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it took 1 session to close | 6 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it closed higher in its latest session, after a session that did not close higher — a single up day rather than a run | 1 session up |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock lagged the market by 22.2 percentage points (the stock lost 21.2% while the market gained 1.0%) | -22.2% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock lagged the market by 35.1 percentage points (the stock lost 31.3% while the market gained 3.8%) | -35.1% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock lagged the market by 60.0 percentage points (the stock lost 42.5% while the market gained 17.5%) | -60.0% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock lagged the market by 75.4 percentage points (the stock lost 60.5% while the market gained 15.0%) | -75.4% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 1 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it is currently in a bullish state: MACD momentum is positive — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 1 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 5 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: a "death cross" — its 50-day average is below its 200-day, trading below its 200-day average, a strong downtrend, with sellers in control, lagging the market over 6 months, trading below the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 5 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 29% below the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-09-01 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established downtrend, with the band above acting as the level that would have to be cleared. The band itself is thick, spanning 8.1% of the share price, which is taken to mean a barrier that has held for a while and takes effort to cross. | -28.8% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 38% below the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $11.19 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 191 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -37.7% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is sitting right on the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-09-14 (its 10-Q), so the typical buyer over that stretch is roughly break-even. That average is $6.97 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 19 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -0.0% |
Price levels it has turned at before
PLAY last closed at $6.97 on 2026-10-08. Since 2024-10-08 it has turned at 0 prices below its last close and 18 above; the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $9.65 | Resistance | 38.5% above the last close | turned there twice · 2026-03-27 to 2026-05-18 |
| $10.42 | Resistance | 49.5% above the last close | turned there twice · 2026-06-16 to 2026-08-25 |
| $13.09 | Resistance | 87.7% above the last close | turned there twice · 2025-11-06 to 2025-11-21 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a five-part downward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 4 of five, a pullback against that direction.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes above $9.40.
This is one of several labellings that fit the same swings, so treat it as a reading rather than the reading. It was chosen from 2 labellings that survived the rules, counting shorter readings of the same bars.
On past moves of this shape the leg has usually ended somewhere between $7.60 and $9.11 — that is where it has tended to end if the count holds, not a forecast of where the price goes.
Alternate reading: The same swings also read as a completed three-part correction, which fails on a close below $6.26.
This reading has stood for 12 trading days, since 2026-09-23.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-10-08.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading below the 200-day moving average · Pulled back from the 12-month high · lagging the market · Printed a bullish engulfing pair · Most volatile (6%+ typical daily range) · Stretched far below its 200-day average (6+ daily ranges) | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · macd · breakout · fifty two week high low
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-10-08. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingBuy (2.40 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 6 analysts
- Mean price target$13.00 range $9.00 – $22.00; median $11.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-10-04. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for PLAY
- Consensus EPS estimate-$1.42 next reporting period, as of 2026-10-04
Change over time is not available yet: it needs two readings of the same reporting period at least 30 days apart, and we have been recording these estimates since 2026-08-04. An estimate for a DIFFERENT quarter is not a revision, so a reading from before the last report is never compared with one after it.
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Ability to successfully design and execute business strategy, including comparable store sales growth","Impact of technological advancements and changing consumer behavior on entertainment preferences","Substantial indebtedness and debt covenants restricting operations"]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of PLAY's 10-Q filed 2026-06-15 against the prior one filed 2025-12-09.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Definition and explanation of 'Credit Adjusted EBITDA' metric, including its components and use for covenant compliance (2026-06-15)
- Definition and detailed explanation of 'Store Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization' metric and its uses (2026-06-15)
- Section on 'Presentation of Operating Results' describing fiscal year structure and quarter definitions (2026-06-15)
- Detailed section on 'Store-Level Variability, Quarterly Fluctuations, Seasonality and Inflation' discussing honeymoon effect, store margins, and seasonal patterns (2026-06-15)
- Removed:
- 'Overview' section with forward-looking statements disclosure and risk factor references (2025-12-09)
- 'Quarterly Financial Highlights' section with Q3 revenue, comparable store sales, net loss, and Adjusted EBITDA data (2025-12-09)
- Discussion of specific quarterly results including third quarter revenue of $448.2M and net loss of $42.1M (2025-12-09)
- Reworded:
- Adjusted EBITDA opening statement revised from implicit understanding to explicit 'we believe' language about providing useful information to investors (2026-06-15)
- Notes:
- The newer filing appears to focus on metric definitions and operational concepts while the older filing included period-specific financial highlights; these represent different content sections rather than direct rewrites of the same material
- Both filings share similar MD&A headers and preliminary framing but diverge significantly in content organization and focus
Risk Factors
- Added:
- Newer filing (2026-06-15): Balance sheet dated May 5, 2026 with February 3, 2026 comparison
- Newer filing (2026-06-15): Three months ended May 5, 2026 comprehensive income statement
- Newer filing (2026-06-15): Three months ended May 5, 2026 stockholders' equity statement
- Newer filing (2026-06-15): Three months ended May 5, 2026 cash flows statement
- Newer filing (2026-06-15): Note 1 indicates company opened one store during three months ended May 5, 2026; 244 total stores as of May 5, 2026
- Removed:
- Older filing (2025-12-09): Balance sheet dated November 4, 2025 with February 4, 2025 comparison
- Older filing (2025-12-09): Three months ended November 4, 2025 and nine months ended November 4, 2025 comprehensive income statements
- Older filing (2025-12-09): Nine months ended November 4, 2025 and November 5, 2024 stockholders' equity statements
- Older filing (2025-12-09): Nine months ended November 4, 2025 and November 5, 2024 cash flows statements
- Reworded:
- Reporting period changed from three and nine months ended November 4, 2025 to three months ended May 5, 2026
- Comparison period changed from February 4, 2025 (audited) to February 3, 2026 (audited) in balance sheet
- Prior year comparison changed from May 6, 2025 and November 5, 2024 periods to May 6, 2025 only in comprehensive income
- Stockholders' equity statement changed from nine-month period with multiple quarter rollforward to single three-month period
- Cash flow statement changed from nine-month period to three-month period
- Notes:
- The newer filing presents Q2 FY2026 results (three months ended May 5, 2026) while the older filing presented Q3 FY2025 results (three months ended November 4, 2025); these are different fiscal quarters
- Financial metrics are not directly comparable across the two filings due to different reporting periods and prior year comparisons
- Risk Factors section headers show different page numbers (27 in newer vs 36 in older) but actual Risk Factors text was not provided for comparison in either filing
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
3 open-market purchases and 0 open-market sales by insiders in the last 90 days, of which we have read Form 4 filings through 2026-10-04. The 5 days since 2026-10-04 have not been checked yet.
- Last 30 days · read to 2026-10-043 buys ($188600) · 0 sells — 2 buying insiders
- Last 90 days · read to 2026-10-043 buys ($188600) · 0 sells — 2 buying insiders
- Last 180 days · read to 2026-10-043 buys ($188600) · 0 sells — 2 buying insiders
Activity heuristic: net buying (a transparent product heuristic from the counts above, not a prediction or advice)
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-09-28. Based on Form 4 filings read through 2026-10-04; anything filed since is not yet included.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about PLAY's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Institutional ownership (13F)
4 institutional 13F filers reported holding PLAY as of 2026-06-30 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 4
- Reported shares held 5,504,116
- Reported value $62,746,923
reported quarterly holdings change (2026-03-31 → 2026-06-30): 0 new, 2 increased, 2 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Ask about PLAY's institutional holders → See what each manager we track holds →
Short interest (FINRA)
PLAY had 9,831,307 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-09-15 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
PLAY had 28.2% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-09-15 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 2.49 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 9,831,307
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 28.2%
- Prior settlement (shares) 8,684,770
- Reported change 13.2%
- Days to cover (reported) 2.49
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-09-15 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- bowling alleys
- movie theaters
- theme parks
- sports activity centers
- arcades
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
Frequently asked questions
What does DAVE AND BUSTERS ENTERTAINMENT INC (PLAY) do?
Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. owns and operates a network of entertainment and dining venues across North America under the Dave & Buster's and Main Event brands. The company's business model centers on an integrated "Eat, Drink, Play, and Watch" experience, offering a full-service food and beverage menu alongside extensive arcade gaming, virtual reality, bowling, and live sports viewing.
What sector is DAVE AND BUSTERS ENTERTAINMENT INC (PLAY) in?
DAVE AND BUSTERS ENTERTAINMENT INC (PLAY) is classified in the Consumer Discretionary sector. Its industry is Out-of-home entertainment / leisure and dining. It trades on NASDAQ.
Who are DAVE AND BUSTERS ENTERTAINMENT INC's (PLAY) competitors?
Notable peers of DAVE AND BUSTERS ENTERTAINMENT INC (PLAY) include bowling alleys, movie theaters, theme parks, sports activity centers and arcades. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is DAVE AND BUSTERS ENTERTAINMENT INC (PLAY) overbought or oversold right now?
DAVE AND BUSTERS ENTERTAINMENT INC (PLAY) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 44, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-10-08). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on PLAY come from?
Fundamentals come from SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-02 for the rest; prices are market data, as of 2026-09-02; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-02 for the rest. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-10-08.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.