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TickerTalks›$PLAY
PLPLAY

Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.

Trending onTrending downwardX chatter spiked vs its recent normPrice and volume picking up
$PLAY·$389M·Entertainment·Communication Services
$11.95+6.8%YTD-26.8%1Y-62.7%
Mentions · last 7 days
2026-06-11: 323 posts2026-06-12: 342 posts2026-06-13: 275 posts2026-06-14: 261 posts2026-06-15: 442 posts2026-06-16: 494 posts2026-06-17: 335 posts2,515+13%
Price updated 5h ago·X counts updated 1d ago
PLPLAY
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.$PLAY
$11.95+6.79%2.5k posts+13%
AI analysisFundamentalsVoices on X
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AI verdict & sentimentAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Top X posts

Today's AI verdict on what's driving $PLAY, plus how loud the X conversation is and which way it's leaning.

AI analysis

TickerTalks’ read on the fundamentals and what’s driving the move.

Broken storySelling offAI verdict · as of 2026-06-18

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

Dave & Buster's down 20% after Q1 miss — back-to-basics turnaround already needs a second back-to-basics.

Dave & Buster's is the arcade-restaurant chain that has been chasing a multi-year turnaround under successive CEOs — and Q1 just delivered a 73% EPS miss ($0.16 vs $0.598 expected) with revenue down 1.5% YoY. Operating margin held at 10% but FCF was just $8.5M with debt-to-equity at 32x — the leverage is brutal. The stock sits at just 6% of the 52-week range and 29% below the 200-day MA, with multiple recent senior-officer Form 3 filings (new CLO Rachel Morgan, new CTO Kevin Fish) indicating a real C-suite reset is in progress. At a P/S of 0.19 the value optics are extreme, but the operating model itself — arcade plus restaurant traffic — is what's broken; turnaround talk doesn't fix a chain whose unit economics keep deteriorating.

Agrees with X sentimentAligned with the post-earnings bearish framing — a 73% EPS miss at this debt level is the kind of print that doesn't get explained away by 'back-half bet' language; the C-suite refresh is real but execution risk is now compounded by capital-structure risk.

What to watch: September 21 next print: same-store-sales trajectory, food-vs-amusement revenue mix, and any explicit debt-paydown commentary. A second SSS miss is the value-trap confirmation; back-half guidance landing in numbers is what would actually re-rate this.

On the calendar: 2026-09-21 — Q2 FY26 earnings

X sentiment

What the X crowd is saying right now — descriptive, summarised from the day’s posts.

Bearish sentiment7 posts analyzed · as of 2026-06-18

Dave & Buster's reported Q1 FY26 results and dropped 20% in pre-market as the sharpest single-name move with indices flat, with same-store-sales declines weighing on the consumer-entertainment thesis. The crypto Play token side dominates volume with breakout-watch posts. Equity-side signal is clearly bearish on the print and broader consumer pressure.

Read the AI verdict + X sentiment for $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)
  • X crowd read with bullish/bearish call + post volume
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What it does

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

Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. oversees and manages hospitality and amusement establishments designed for both adults and families throughout North America. These locations present guests with a varied menu featuring main courses and appetizers, complemented by a selection of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Furthermore, they boast an array of entertainment offerings, centered around video games, live sports broadcasts, and other televised events. The company exclusively operates these venues under the well-known Dave & Buster's brand. As of January 30, 2022, its portfolio included 144 individual sites spread across 40 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and one Canadian province. Founded in 1982, the firm's corporate headquarters are situated in Coppell, Texas.

Industry overviewAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

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

Entertainment · Communication Services

Streaming profitability maturation continues repricing entertainment — NFLX's global TV network model (ad tier expansion, password crackdown monetization) is the benchmark. Disney's new theme park announcement and ongoing DTC streaming profitability ramp are this week's catalysts; Roku's future as a neutral platform is the contested narrative.

See how Entertainment shapes $PLAY

  • Where the industry is in its cycle and the catalysts moving it now
  • What this means specifically for $PLAY's next move
  • Peer-basket or ETF benchmark you can use to gut-check the read
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Industry benchmark

11-name peer basket
+53.1%YTD
+21.3%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
Q1 2026Jun 15, 2026$0.16$0.60-73.2%
Q4 2025Mar 31, 2026$-0.35$0.39-189.7%
Q3 2025Dec 9, 2025$-1.14$-1.16+1.7%
Q2 2025Sep 15, 2025$0.40$0.88-54.5%
Next earningsMon, Sep 21·consensus EPS $0.19

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-$0.72-$1.27 – -$0.277
FY28$2.2B$2.2B – $2.3B-$0.14-$0.41 – $0.108
FY29$2.3B$2.3B – $2.3B-$0.85-$0.87 – -$0.842

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.1.2×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.9%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.+0.3%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.-23.6%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 today6.9% 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.

Know if $PLAY is setting up — or just chopping

  • Volume multiple vs 30-day baseline — catch unusual interest before the move
  • Position vs 50d & 200d MAs and 52-week range — trend direction at a glance
  • Float bucket, beta, and active-offering flags — what kind of stock you're trading
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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
+ 30 other (23 awards · 7 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
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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 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.

3New insider — initial holdingsMay 133
AI summary

Kevin Fish filed a Form 3 (initial statement of beneficial ownership) as newly appointed SVP, Chief Technology and Digital Officer of Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY) as of May 13, 2026, reporting zero directly-held common shares and no derivative securities at appointment. Routine administrative filing — no economic stake at the time of filing; no market impact.

3New insider — initial holdingsMay 43
AI summary

Charles Protell filed a Form 3 (initial statement of beneficial ownership) for Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. on May 4, 2026, reporting his position as a Director effective April 27, 2026, with zero directly-held shares. Routine insider ownership filing for a new board member — compensation grants to the new director would appear in subsequent Form 4 filings.

8-KOfficer or director changeMay 18-K — Item 5.02: Officer or director change · Item 7.01: Press release / Reg FD
AI summary

Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. filed an 8-K under Items 5.02 (officer/director change) and 7.01 (Reg FD) on May 1, 2026, disclosing a leadership change alongside a furnished investor presentation. No specific names or roles are visible in the excerpt. A combined leadership change and investor presentation filing could indicate an executive appointment coinciding with a strategic update — worth checking the attached exhibit for context on D&B's turnaround strategy.

+ 11 other (4 13Gs · 2 earnings 8-Ks · 2 proxys · 1 10-Q) in window

Recent news

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

Is PLAY Stock a Bargain or a Value Trap for Investors Today?zacks.com·2d agoPLAY Trends to Watch in Value, Games and Growth Executionzacks.com·2d agoDave & Buster's Stock Outlook Turns on a Back-to-Basics Turnaroundzacks.com·2d agoDave & Buster's Q1 Miss Raises the Stakes for Its Turnaround Planmarketbeat.com·2d agoPLAY Q1 Earnings Call Flags Slow Start, Back-Half Betzacks.com·2d ago

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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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