Dave & Buster’s Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY) Stock Passes Below 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

17 May 2026, 10:11 by Amy Steele · The Cerbat Gem

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAY – Get Free Report)’s stock price crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $15.24 and traded as low as $10.06. Dave & Buster’s Entertainment shares last traded at $10.11, with a volume of 1,177,878 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on PLAY. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from $22.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.83.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Dave & Buster’s Entertainment

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Stock Down 1.2%

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $12.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.61. The firm has a market cap of $351.21 million, a P/E ratio of -7.07 and a beta of 1.78.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The restaurant operator reported ($0.35) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.74). The company had revenue of $529.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $556.56 million. Dave & Buster’s Entertainment had a negative return on equity of 7.93% and a negative net margin of 2.32%.The business’s revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. will post -0.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Steve Klohn sold 6,989 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.69, for a total value of $102,668.41. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 38,547 shares in the company, valued at $566,255.43. This trade represents a 15.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.73% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PLAY. Nomura Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment by 532.9% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 2,411,191 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $43,787,000 after purchasing an additional 2,030,186 shares during the period. Clearline Capital LP lifted its stake 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. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its holdings in shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment by 40.1% in the fourth quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,515,000 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $24,558,000 after buying an additional 434,000 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Dave & Buster’s Entertainment by 22.3% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,511,591 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $24,503,000 after buying an additional 276,064 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in Dave & Buster’s Entertainment by 44.9% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,509,752 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $16,351,000 after buying an additional 468,174 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.45% of the company’s stock.

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.