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PLAY Stock Forecast: Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. Price Predictions for 2026-2027

Last close, 18 Sept 2026
$6.73
+2.91% on the day

The 11 Wall Street analysts covering Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. hold a median 12-month price target of $13 — +93.2% from the last close. Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model, run across ~4,600 US stocks, ranks it 19 of 100 as at 19 Sept 2026 — in the weakest quartile. The Street sees upside; the factor read is a caution. That gap is the story on this page.

Market cap
$234.4M
Ticker Nerd rank
19 / 100
Median analyst target
$13
Analysts covering
11
Revenue$559.2M−1.5% y/y
Operating income$52.3M
Net income$5.7M
Free cash flow$8.5M
Quarterly, 8 quarters to 30 Apr 2026 · latest quarter's figure shown
Total return, dividends reinvested
1W
−17.3%
1M
−32.2%
YTD
−58.5%
1Y
−67.0%
From 52W high
−68.2%
From 52W low
+2.9%
$7
$21
52-week range, adjusted closes · the dot is the last close
Ticker Nerd rank

PLAY stock analysis: one number for the whole business

Consensus tells you what everyone already believes. The model scores Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. on its factor families — the same systematic rank behind the Ticker Nerd portfolio.

Where the model ranks itAs at 19 Sept 2026
19 / 100

Percentile across ~4,600 US stocks on Ticker Nerd’s systematic factor model. Higher is better. How the model is built and tested

Accruals
79
Size
66
Issuance
63
Value
37
Quality
29
Revisions
26
Volatility
15
Growth
10
Momentum
5

Accruals (79): Reported profit is backed by cash, and the company is not expanding recklessly.

Momentum (5): The shares have been drifting down relative to others.

Built and run by Aslam Ghouse, an ex-Goldman Sachs quant trader with fourteen years in markets.

Wall Street

PLAY stock forecast 2026-2027: analyst price targets & predictions

The bullish and bearish analyst opinions on PLAY, reported as data — targets and ratings, the market's view beside the model's.

Share price and the analyst range, 12 monthsAdjusted close, US dollars
$5$10$15$20Oct 25Jan 26Apr 26Jul 26PLAYHigh $22Median $13Low $9

Price targets and ratings are third-party analyst estimates, reported here as data. They are not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Data provided by Twelve Data

What Wall Street says11 analysts
3 Buy8 Hold0 Sell
Low $9Median $13High $22

The green dot is the last close — the median target sits +93.2% from it.

Recent analyst actionsNewest first

Of the 20 most recent actions, 0 moved their price target up and 3 moved it down.

DateFirmActionRatingTarget
15 Sept 2026BMO CapitalMaintainsOutperform$22 → $13
15 Sept 2026Freedom Capital MarketsMaintainsHold$13 → $9.00
15 Sept 2026UBSMaintainsNeutral$12 → $9.00
29 June 2026CitizensInitiatesMarket Perform—
29 June 2026CitizensInitiatesMarket Perform—
16 June 2026BenchmarkDowngradeHold—
16 June 2026BMO CapitalMaintainsOutperform—
16 June 2026UBSMaintainsNeutral—
6 Apr 2026Piper SandlerMaintainsNeutral—
8 Jan 2026Truist SecuritiesMaintainsHold—
6 Jan 2026UBSMaintainsNeutral—
11 Dec 2025Truist SecuritiesMaintainsHold—
10 Dec 2025BMO CapitalMaintainsOutperform—
6 Nov 2025Freedom Capital MarketsInitiatesHold—
16 Sept 2025Piper SandlerMaintainsNeutral—
16 Sept 2025Truist SecuritiesMaintainsHold—
16 Sept 2025UBSMaintainsNeutral—
27 Aug 2025Truist SecuritiesMaintainsHold—
11 June 2025BMO CapitalMaintainsOutperform—
11 June 2025Loop CapitalMaintainsBuy—

Price targets and ratings are third-party analyst estimates, reported here as data. They are not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Market Radar

This page is one stock. Monday covers all of them.

Computed off the Friday close and sent before the US open.

Market Radar reports the week’s largest rank changes across roughly 4,600 US stocks, the factor behind each one, and where the market went. PLAY appears on the weeks it earns a place.

Free, every Monday. Unsubscribe any time.

Performance

PLAY vs the S&P 500

Both lines are total return — dividends reinvested — so the comparison is honest on both sides.

Over the twelve months to 18 Sept 2026, Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. returned −67.0% against +16.3% for the S&P 500, dividends included.

PLAY vs S&P 500, last 12 monthsTotal return, rebased to 100
20406080100120Oct 25Jan 26Apr 26Jul 26PLAYS&P 500

Download this chart as an image — free to reuse; link this page as the source.

Data provided by Twelve Data

Estimates

PLAY analyst estimate revisions

Not the forecast itself — the direction analysts are revising it. Revision direction is one of the model's factor families.

Which way the estimates are movingNext fiscal year
Analysts raising
1
Analysts cutting
6
Fundamentals

Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY) financial data

A margin means little on its own. Each bar marks where the figure sits across the whole US universe we score.

Valuation
Trailing P/E
44.9×

Cheaper than 16% of US stocks

Price / sales
0.1×

Cheaper than 96% of US stocks

Price / book
2.7×

Cheaper than 36% of US stocks

EV / EBITDA
10.3×

Cheaper than 37% of US stocks

Growth & margins
Revenue growth (YoY)
−2.4%

Higher than 23% of US stocks

Earnings growth (YoY)
−1.5%

Higher than 34% of US stocks

Gross margin
85.7%

Higher than 94% of US stocks

Operating margin
4.4%

Higher than 53% of US stocks

Net margin
−4.3%

Higher than 24% of US stocks

Returns & dividend
Return on equity
−69.7%

Higher than 17% of US stocks

Return on assets
1.1%

Higher than 51% of US stocks

Dividend yield
9.5%

Higher than 90% of US dividend payers

Bars mark the percentile across the ~4,600 US stocks Ticker Nerd covers, among those reporting the figure.

Key statistics

Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY) statistics: revenue, profit & scale

The headline figures, each with its date. Every row carries its own link — cite it straight from here.

  • Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. has a market value of $234.4M and an enterprise value of $3.8B.

  • Revenue in the twelve months to 30 Apr 2026: $2.1B. The latest quarter shrank 2.4% year on year.

  • Net income over the same four quarters: −$64.7M, a −3.1% net margin.

  • Diluted earnings per share, trailing twelve months: $−1.89.

  • Free cash flow in the twelve months to 30 Apr 2026: −$33.3M, after $342.1M of capital spending.

  • Shares outstanding: 34.8M.

  • Trailing P/E: 44.9×; forward P/E: −4.9× — the forward figure prices analyst consensus estimates, not reported earnings.

  • Forward dividend yield: 9.50%, paying out 0% of earnings.

  • Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. employs 23,610 people — $89K of revenue per employee.

Statement figures: company filings via Twelve Data, four quarters to 30 Apr 2026 · market figures as at 20 Sept 2026

Data provided by Twelve Data

Peers

PLAY vs competitors

The nearest names by industry and size, scored by the same model — like for like.

Its peer group, ranked by the same modelEntertainment
CompanyMarket capTKN rank
PLAYDave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.$234.4M
19
AENTAlliance Entertainment Holding Corp.$256.3M
75
STRZStarz Entertainment Corp.$415.5M
5
AMCXAMC Global Media, Inc.$499.8M
97
RSVRReservoir Media, Inc.$617.8M
38
RDIReading International, Inc.$67.8M
59
MCSMarcus Corp.$830.8M
97

Look up any of the roughly 4,600 stocks we score.

The rank is the raw material. Whether the rules would actually own Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. — and when they’d sell — is the membership. See the Ticker Nerd 20 →

News

Latest PLAY news & analysis

Bear of the Day: Dave & Buster's (PLAY)

Zacks Investment Research · 18 Sept 2026negative

Zacks Investment Research named Dave & Buster's (PLAY) the "Bear of the Day," noting it is the third time in three years the stock has received this designation as the Zacks Rank continues to peg it with falling EPS estimates. The article references a prior profile from late May when shares were still above $10.

Why it matters — A PLAY watcher would care because the repeated Bear of the Day designation highlights persistently falling earnings estimates that have kept the stock under a negative Zacks Rank.

Why Dave & Buster's Stock Tumbled Today

The Motley Fool · 16 Sept 2026negative

Dave & Buster's stock fell as its arcades are attracting fewer gamers. Management is hoping that new games will draw diners back to the establishments.

Why it matters — A watcher of Dave & Buster's (PLAY) would care because declining arcade traffic is a core business concern, and management's response may affect future customer turnout.

Could Dave & Buster's Capitulation Signal the Bottom Is Finally In?

MarketBeat · 15 Sept 2026negative

Dave & Buster's stock plunged in mid-September after weaker-than-expected Q2 results, reaching a record low well below existing support and on track for what could be a monumental slide. The report notes the company faces headwinds, though not to the degree its stock price action suggests.

Why it matters — A PLAY watcher would care because the stock has hit a record low following disappointing Q2 results, with the report assessing whether this capitulation could signal that a bottom has finally been reached.

Dave & Buster's Stock Plunges After a Surprise Loss

Investopedia · 15 Sept 2026negative

Dave & Buster's Entertainment shares fell sharply after the restaurant and arcade operator reported a surprise loss. The unexpected quarterly loss triggered a decline in the company's stock price.

Why it matters — A surprise quarterly loss and resulting stock decline signal financial headwinds for the company, which is directly relevant to PLAY shareholders.

Tuesday's First Moves: LLY & ETSY Upgrades, PLAY Plunges After Earnings

Schwab Network · 15 Sept 2026negative

The Schwab Network report notes that Dave & Buster's (PLAY) stock plunged following its earnings release. The segment also covers upgrades for Eli Lilly and ETSY, but for PLAY the headline highlights a sharp decline after reporting results.

Why it matters — The post-earnings drop in PLAY's share price is directly relevant to investors tracking Dave & Buster's financial performance.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about PLAY stock

What is the PLAY stock price forecast for 2026-2027?

The 11 Wall Street analysts covering Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. have a median 12-month price target of $13, with estimates ranging from $9 to $22. These are third-party analyst estimates, not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Is PLAY stock a buy right now?

Of the 11 analysts covering Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc., 3 rate it a Buy, 8 a Hold and 0 a Sell. Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model ranks Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. 19 out of 100 across roughly 4,600 US stocks as at 19 Sept 2026. None of this is personal advice — it does not consider your circumstances.

How does Ticker Nerd's model rank PLAY?

As at 19 Sept 2026, Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. ranks 19 out of 100 on Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model — a percentile across roughly 4,600 US stocks, built from its factor families. Its strongest factor family is Accruals (79 of 100).

Will PLAY stock go up?

No one can know that. What the data says: the median 12-month target from 11 analysts implies +93.2% from the last close, and Ticker Nerd's factor model ranks Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. 19 out of 100 as at 19 Sept 2026. Analyst targets are third-party estimates and frequently wrong; none of this is personal advice.

What is the PLAY stock forecast for 2030?

No analyst covering Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. publishes a 2030 price target — Wall Street targets run 12 to 18 months out. Sites quoting a 2030 price for PLAY are extrapolating price history, which says nothing about the business. The furthest attributed numbers are the current analyst targets: $9 to $22 over the next 12 months.

How has PLAY stock performed over the past year?

Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. returned -67.0% over the 12 months to 18 Sept 2026, with dividends reinvested. Past performance does not indicate future returns.

What does Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. do?

Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. is a leisure and hospitality company that owns, operates, and franchises entertainment and dining venues across North America.

What is the latest news on PLAY?

The most recent item we track (Zacks Investment Research, 18 Sept 2026): "Bear of the Day: Dave & Buster's (PLAY)". Zacks Investment Research named Dave & Buster's (PLAY) the "Bear of the Day," noting it is the third time in three years the stock has received this designation as the Zacks Rank continues to peg it with falling EPS estimates. The article references a prior profile from late May when shares were still above $10.

Company

About Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.

Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. is a leisure and hospitality company that owns, operates, and franchises entertainment and dining venues across North America. The company’s venues combine full-service food and beverage service with arcade games, social gaming, sports viewing, and other attractions, creating an all-in-one out-of-home entertainment experience. Its business is centered on serving adults, families, and group gatherings through large-format destinations designed for dining, gameplay, and event-driven visits. Dave & Buster's also operates under the Main Event brand, which expands its reach into family entertainment with offerings such as bowling, laser tag, and arcade activities. The company plays a notable role in the “eatertainment” market by blending restaurant operations with interactive entertainment across multiple consumer occasions.

CEO Mr. Darin E. Harper · 23,610 employees · United States · https://daveandbusters.com