Insider Buying: Dave & Buster’s Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY) Director Purchases $81,360.00 in Stock

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAY) Director Nathaniel Lipman bought 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 17th. The stock was bought at an average price of $6.78 per share, for a total transaction of $81,360.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 30,715 shares in the company, valued at approximately $208,247.70. This represents a 64.12% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Stock Down 4.8%

NASDAQ:PLAY traded down $0.33 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $6.53. The stock had a trading volume of 3,514,569 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,729,760. The company has a market capitalization of $227.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.54 and a beta of 1.82. Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. has a 1-year low of $6.45 and a 1-year high of $22.10. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $9.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $11.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.07, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.20.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, September 14th. The restaurant operator reported ($0.27) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.19 by ($0.46). Dave & Buster’s Entertainment had a negative net margin of 4.26% and a negative return on equity of 51.87%. The firm had revenue of $544.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $556.83 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.32 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. will post -1.1 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PLAY has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citizens Jmp started coverage on shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in a research note on Monday, June 29th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in a report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from $22.00 to $13.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment from $12.00 to $9.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dave & Buster’s Entertainment

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PLAY. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in the second quarter valued at $36,725,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its position in shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment by 40.1% during 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 acquiring an additional 434,000 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment by 44.9% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,509,752 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $16,351,000 after acquiring an additional 468,174 shares during the period. Wolf Hill Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in the 2nd quarter worth about $15,468,694. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in Dave & Buster’s Entertainment in the 4th quarter valued at about $7,359,000. 91.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Dave & Buster’s Entertainment

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc (NASDAQ: PLAY) is an entertainment and dining company that operates venues combining arcade games, sports viewing, food and beverages, and social experiences. Its Dave & Buster’s locations are designed for adults and families and offer interactive games, prize redemption, casual dining, full-service bars, and space for group events and parties.

The company also operates Main Event, a family entertainment brand offering bowling, arcade games, laser tag, virtual reality attractions, and food and beverages.