Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:PLAY) Short Interest Update

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:PLAY) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,630,000 shares, an increase of 26.7% from the September 30th total of 6,020,000 shares. Approximately 19.8% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,310,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.8 days.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Trading Up 2.6 %

PLAY stock traded up $0.98 during trading on Monday, hitting $38.36. 347,672 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,261,322. The company has a 50-day moving average of $32.93 and a 200-day moving average of $40.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.54, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a current ratio of 0.24. Dave & Buster’s Entertainment has a 1 year low of $29.31 and a 1 year high of $69.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.51 billion, a PE ratio of 13.91 and a beta of 2.15.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, September 10th. The restaurant operator reported $1.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $557.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $560.65 million. Dave & Buster’s Entertainment had a net margin of 5.10% and a return on equity of 51.75%. Dave & Buster’s Entertainment’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.94 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Dave & Buster’s Entertainment will post 2.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Dave & Buster’s Entertainment

In other news, CEO Christopher Daniel Morris purchased 14,912 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $33.67 per share, for a total transaction of $502,087.04. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 83,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,823,128.49. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dave & Buster’s Entertainment

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Headlands Technologies LLC grew its position in Dave & Buster’s Entertainment by 23.4% during the first quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 1,227 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $77,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment during the 1st quarter valued at $249,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in Dave & Buster’s Entertainment by 22,338.9% in the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 4,039 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $161,000 after buying an additional 4,021 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in Dave & Buster’s Entertainment during the 1st quarter worth approximately $331,000. 91.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Loop Capital cut their target price on Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from $63.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from $64.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. StockNews.com lowered Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from $65.00 to $55.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Dave & Buster’s Entertainment presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $62.57.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Company Profile

Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc owns and operates entertainment and dining venues for adults and families. Its venues offer a menu of entrees and appetizers, as well as a selection of non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages; and an assortment of entertainment attractions centered on playing games and watching live sports, and other televised events.