Dave & Buster’s Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY) Stock Breaks Above Fifty Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAY) passed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $7.75 and traded as high as $8.19. Dave & Buster’s Entertainment shares last traded at $8.13, with a volume of 1,407,365 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on PLAY shares. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from $22.00 to $13.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. Citigroup restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from $12.00 to $9.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, September 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Dave & Buster’s Entertainment currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.33.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $7.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $11.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.07, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market cap of $283.18 million, a PE ratio of -3.16 and a beta of 1.92.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, September 14th. The restaurant operator reported ($0.27) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by ($0.46). The company had revenue of $544.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $556.83 million. Dave & Buster’s Entertainment had a negative return on equity of 51.87% and a negative net margin of 4.26%. The business’s revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.32 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. will post -1.58 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Dave & Buster’s Entertainment news, CFO Cory Hatton purchased 4,000 shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment stock in a transaction on Monday, September 28th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $6.50 per share, for a total transaction of $26,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 104,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $679,087.50. The trade was a 3.98% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Nathaniel Lipman purchased 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 17th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $6.78 per share, for a total transaction of $81,360.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 30,715 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $208,247.70. This represents a 64.12% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.73% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dave & Buster’s Entertainment

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Dave & Buster’s Entertainment during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd bought a new position in Dave & Buster’s Entertainment during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Dave & Buster’s Entertainment during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $141,000. Finally, Farringdon Capital Ltd. bought a new position in Dave & Buster’s Entertainment during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $144,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.45% of the company’s stock.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Company Profile

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc operates entertainment and dining venues under the Dave & Buster’s and Main Event brands. Its locations combine arcade games, prize redemption, sports viewing and other interactive attractions with full-service restaurants and bars.

The company’s venues offer a range of video, arcade and skill-based games, as well as group entertainment options for parties, corporate events and other gatherings. Food and beverage offerings typically include American-style menu items, alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks, and event packages.

Dave & Buster’s was founded in 1982, when James “Buster” Corley and David Corriveau opened the first location in Dallas, Texas.