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TickerTalks›$PLAY
PLPLAY

Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.

$PLAY·$283M·Leisure·Consumer Cyclical
$6.860.0%YTD-58.0%1Y-65.9%
Price updated 9h ago·X counts updated 3d ago
PLPLAY
$PLAYDave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.
$6.860.00%901 posts0.9×
AI analysisFundamentalsVoices on X
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On X

The complete picture of $PLAY on X — how loud the conversation is right now, how it has trended over the last two weeks, and which way the crowd is leaning.

901X posts · last 7 days
Aug 31Sep 13
Chatter Meter
0.9×
QuietNormal · 1×Loud

How loud $PLAY's conversation on X is versus its own normal — 1× is typical, higher means busier. Right now it's about its usual level.

Bullish sentimentAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data5 posts analyzed · as of 2026-09-12

PLAY (Smartchain Poker) is bullish — highest Heidrun Spin points across the ecosystem, multi-chain (Solana + Robinhood Chain) roulette + poker games with $PLAY token. Community events (DeFi Dojo Freeroll/Battle, $RIZO Freeroll) drive continuous engagement.

Read what X is saying about $PLAY

  • Bullish vs bearish call — with the AI summary of the day's posts
  • Divergence flag when the top-engagement posts argue the other side
  • How loud the conversation is versus this ticker's own normal
Free, forever. No credit card.

AI verdictAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

TickerTalks' own read on what's driving $PLAY — fundamentals, momentum, or an event — and whether it agrees with the X crowd.

Broken storySelling offAI verdict · as of 2026-09-17

Falling on heavy selling — points lower unless it turns around.

Entertainment-eatery chain at 2% of 52-week range while X trades a same-named crypto token.

Dave & Buster's is a US entertainment-restaurant chain whose stock sits at 2% of its 52-week range — down 58% YTD and 66% over the past year. The X chatter under $PLAY is entirely a Solana-and-Robinhood-chain poker token, not the equity.

  • The core business is stalled: Q1 comparable revenue fell 1.5% YoY at a 15% gross margin — not a collapse, but no recovery in a discretionary consumer segment where any weakness gets punished.
  • Volume tells you the market has already voted: 30-day average daily volume is 2.85x normal at a 52-week low — distribution, not accumulation.
  • The valuation isn't the case: 0.19x sales sounds cheap, but a -$85M FCF equivalent means the balance sheet has real strain, not just a P&L problem.

Dec 8 is the last chance: same-store sales turning positive plus real cost discipline restarts it; another negative comp with FCF pressure confirms the breakdown.

What to watch: The Dec 8 Q3 print — same-store sales turning positive and FCF stabilizing. Another negative comp with cash-flow pressure confirms the breakdown from these 52-week lows.

On the calendar: 2026-12-08 — Q3 earnings

revenue decliningconsumer weaknessno sentiment on stock

Read the AI verdict on $PLAY

  • One-line verdict on what's driving the move — fundamentals, momentum, both, or an event
  • Next dated catalyst when there is one (earnings, deal closing, activist clock)
  • Whether TickerTalks' read agrees with or diverges from the X crowd
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What it does

Plain-English summary of the business — what they sell and how they make money.

Operates 150+ dining and entertainment venues combining restaurant meals with arcade games under the Dave & Buster's brand.

Industry overviewAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Where Leisure sits in its cycle right now — and what that implies for $PLAY.

Leisure · Consumer Cyclical

Consumer leisure spending is bifurcated by income: premium outdoor brands (Arc'teryx, Wilson) and resort-style fitness clubs hold firm, while mid-income dining-and-entertainment venues face traffic softness and debt-heavy theme park operators absorb post-merger normalization. ETF -5% YTD reflects the mid-income squeeze overriding the premium tier's resilience.

What this means for $PLAY

Headwind — Dave & Buster's dining-and-entertainment venues target mid-income consumers who are cutting discretionary spending; analyst estimate revisions ahead of Q2 earnings reflect the direct traffic headwind from consumer spending bifurcation.

Industry benchmark

6-name peer basket
+15.3%YTD
+4.4%1Y

Fundamentals & catalyst

Profitability, valuation, and the next earnings event — at a glance, with rule-of-thumb signals.

Key ratios

P/E
-6.0How much investors are paying per dollar of profit the company actually earned in the last 12 months. Lower means the stock looks cheaper relative to earnings.~15–25 is typical for the S&P 500; high-growth names trade 30+; hyper-growth or speculative can be 100+ or negative.
ROIC
1.8%What percentage return the business earns on every dollar of capital (equity + debt) deployed in operations. The cleanest measure of business quality.Above ~15% is high-quality; consistently above 25% suggests a real moat. Below the company's cost of capital is value-destroying.
Op margin
4.3%Operating profit (after sales, marketing, R&D, and overhead but before interest and taxes) as a percentage of revenue. The clearest view of how well the underlying business is run.Mature business above 20% is healthy; software businesses can run 30%+; commodity / retail businesses operate in single digits.
FCF yield
-8.6%Free cash flow (operating cash flow minus capex) divided by the company's market cap. The cash-on-cash return you'd get owning the whole business at today's price.Above ~5% is attractive; below ~2% means you're paying up for growth. Capital-light businesses (software) run higher than capital-heavy ones (utilities).
P/S
0.2Same idea as P/E but per dollar of revenue. Useful for companies that aren't profitable yet, where P/E is meaningless.Under ~2 is cheap; software / SaaS often runs 8–15; well above 20 implies the market is pricing in very high future growth.
ROE
-53.1%Net income as a percentage of shareholders' equity. Similar to ROIC but counts only the equity side.Above 20% is strong, but can be inflated by leverage — a heavily indebted company can show high ROE with weak underlying ROIC.
Gross margin
66.8%Revenue minus the direct cost of producing what was sold, as a percentage of revenue. The first read on whether the product is structurally profitable.Software / SaaS is typically 70%+; consumer goods 30–50%; commodity / hardware businesses can be under 20%.
D/E
31.6Total debt divided by shareholders' equity. Measures how much the business runs on borrowed money versus owner capital.Under 1 is conservative; 1–2 is typical for mature businesses; over 2 is leveraged and more sensitive to interest rates.

Past earnings

QuarterReportedActualEstimateSurprise
Q2 2026Sep 14, 2026$-0.36$0.18-300.0%
Q1 2026Jun 15, 2026$0.22$0.37-40.5%
Q4 2025Mar 31, 2026$-1.14$0.39-392.3%
Q3 2025Dec 9, 2025$-1.14$-1.16+1.7%
Next earningsTue, Dec 8·consensus EPS $-1.37

Quarterly trend

QuarterRevenueYoYGrossOpEPSFCF
Q1 FY26$559.2M-1.5%14.6%9.7%$0.16$8.5M
Q4 FY25$529.6M-0.9%85.2%-1.8%$-1.14$34.0M
Q3 FY25$448.2M-1.1%85.8%-2.6%$-1.22$-20.6M
Q2 FY25$557.4M+0.1%86.3%10.2%$0.33$-55.2M

Forward consensus

4-year forecast · up to 8 analysts
FYRevenueRangeEPSRangeAnalysts
FY26$2.1B$2.1B – $2.1B$0.13$0.12 – $0.137
FY27$2.1B$2.1B – $2.1B-$0.86-$1.05 – -$0.608
FY28$2.2B$2.2B – $2.2B-$0.26-$0.39 – -$0.148
FY29$2.3B$2.2B – $2.4B-$0.85-$0.87 – -$0.832

Setup & momentum

Volume, range, and moving-average position — the technical setup driving short-term moves.

Right now

Vol vs 30dToday's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.2.9×Today's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.
52w rangeWhere the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.3%Where the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.
vs 50d MALatest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.-29.7%Latest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.
vs 200d MALatest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.-48.3%Latest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.

Float & profile

FloatLow float · 33.8M shFree-float shares — the slice of issued stock actually available to trade. Lower buckets squeeze harder on a catalyst.Traded today19.4% of floatToday's volume as a percent of the free float. Above 5% on a single day is unusually high turnover for the available share count.β1.825-year weekly beta vs the S&P 500. Above 1.5 means the stock typically moves more than the index; below 0.8 moves less.

Insider activity

Recent open-market buys and sells by officers and directors — flagged when multiple insiders cluster.

Recent transactions

SellApr 17Steve KlohnSVP Chief Information Officer7.0K sh$103K
+ 47 other (38 awards · 9 inkinds) in window

See when $PLAY insiders are putting their own money in

  • Real-time open-market buys and sells from Form 4 filings
  • Cluster-buy detection when multiple insiders pile in at once
  • 30 / 60 / 180-day windows so you can spot building conviction
Free, forever. No credit card.

SEC filings

Material 8-K, 13D, S-3, and 424B5 events from the last 180 days — the filings that actually move the price.

Recent material filings

3New insider — initial holdingsAug 253
AI summary

Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY) filed a Form 3 initial beneficial ownership statement for Derek Sample, Chief Accounting Officer, as of August 25, 2026, at 1221 S. Belt Line Rd., Suite 500, Coppell, Texas. The filing establishes Sample's initial equity ownership baseline as a new Section 16 reporting officer. This is a routine administrative filing for a new accounting officer at the entertainment dining chain.

3New insider — initial holdingsAug 203
3New insider — initial holdingsAug 133
AI summary

Cory Hatton, Interim CFO of Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY), filed an initial Form 3 reporting beneficial ownership as of August 3, 2026. Hatton directly holds 49,714 shares of common stock, along with multiple stock options (some exercisable now, expiring 2032–2036) and performance stock units tied to EBITDA and same-store-sales targets. This is a routine officer initial ownership disclosure with no material market event.

3New insider — initial holdingsAug 133
AI summary

Aldo Rosales, Chief Strategy & Revenue Officer of Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY), filed an initial Form 3 reporting beneficial ownership as of August 3, 2026. Rosales directly holds 53,830 shares of common stock, along with multiple stock options and performance stock units tied to EBITDA and same-store-sales targets through fiscal 2027. This is a routine officer initial ownership disclosure with no material market event.

8-KOfficer or director changeAug 48-K — Item 5.02: Officer or director change
AI summary

PLAY filed an 8-K (Item 5.02) reporting a director or officer change. not to u is involved in the change. The role noted: Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory . This is primarily an administrative disclosure; materiality depends on the seniority of the role and whether it reflects a strategic shift.

8-KShareholder voteJun 258-K — Item 5.07: Shareholder vote
AI summary

Dave & Buster's held its 2026 Annual Meeting on June 18, 2026. Six of seven director nominees were elected; notably Scott I. Ross failed to receive a majority of votes cast (8.67M for vs. 10.57M against) while the other six nominees each received 16.5M–18.3M votes in favor. Despite losing the majority vote, the board composition and outcomes for the other proposals (not reproduced here) are pending. A majority-vote failure for a director nominee is a significant governance signal and warrants follow-up on whether Ross resigned or the board took action.

3New insider — initial holdingsJun 223
AI summary

Form 3 filed by Tucker Jeremy (Other (specify below) Chief Marketing Officer 6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line) X Form filed by One Reporting Person Form filed by More than One Reporting Person Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned 1. Title of Security (Instr. 4) 2. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned (Instr. 4) 3. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 5) 4. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 5) Common Stock 0 D Table II - Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities) 1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 4) 2. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year) 3. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 4) 4. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security 5. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 5) 6. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 5) Date Exercisable Expiration Date Title Amount or Number of Shares Explanation of Responses: Sherri M. Smith 06/22/2026 ** Signature of Reporting Person Date Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly. * If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 5 (b)(v). ** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a). Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure. Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number. * Form 3: SEC 1473 (03-26)) at PLAY on 2026-06-22. This initial statement of beneficial ownership reports the filer's securities holdings as required under Section 16(a). Filing is routine and indicates an insider's initial ownership disclosure following appointment or acquisition of 10%+ stake.

3New insider — initial holdingsJun 153
AI summary

Rachel Morgan filed a Form 3 on June 8, 2026, as a newly appointed officer of Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY), serving as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, and reports direct ownership of 0 shares of common stock at the time of filing. This is a routine initial ownership statement for a new executive hire with no immediate financial impact.

+ 18 other (6 13Gs · 3 earnings 8-Ks · 2 10-Qs · 2 3s) in window

Recent news

Latest headlines from major outlets, sourced and timestamped — context for whatever just moved.

Squarepoint Ops LLC Has $1.50 Million Position in Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. $PLAYdefenseworld.net·1d agoWhy Dave & Buster's Stock Tumbled Todayfool.com·1d agoDave & Buster's Faces Challenges Amid Leadership Changes and Turnaround Effortsgurufocus.com·2d agoCould Dave & Buster's Capitulation Signal the Bottom Is Finally In?marketbeat.com·2d agoDave & Buster's Stock Plunges After a Surprise Lossinvestopedia.com·2d ago

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Voices on X · last 7 days

No standout posts about $PLAY on X in the last 7 days.

TickerTalks is a research tool, not financial advice. We surface social-attention data; we do not make stock recommendations. Past attention is not predictive of future price movements.

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