Bear of the Day: Dave & Buster's Entertainment

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment PLAY is a leading owner and operator of high-volume venues in North America that combine dining and entertainment for both adults and families.

Analysts have taken a bearish stance on the company’s EPS outlook, landing the stock into an unfavorable Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).

Let’s take a closer look at what’s been impacting the company’s outlook.

Dave & Busters Underperforms

Dave & Buster’s shares have struggled to find their footing in 2025, down more than 30% and widely underperforming relative to the S&P 500. Its latest set of quarterly results did push some positivity back into shares, but analysts’ downward revisions following the release are a much more important development.

Concerning headline figures in the latest print, sales fell 11% year-over-year, whereas adjusted EPS was down more than 30%. The company’s top line has overall been stagnant over the last several years, as we can see below.

In addition, the company’s existing locations have struggled, with its FY24 comparable store sales decreasing 7% year-over-year compared to FY23.

Kevin Sheehan, CEO, on the weak Q4 results –

“While we are disappointed by our results in the fourth quarter, we are very encouraged by the clear opportunities we have identified over the past few months and the most recent trends in the business since taking actions to unwind mistakes and make appropriate changes.”

The company is currently forecasted to post 31% lower earnings in its current fiscal year (FY26) before returning to growth in FY27, with sales forecasted to grow 1.3% and 6.3%, respectively. The stock carries a Style Score of ‘D’ for Growth.

Bottom Line

Negative earnings estimate revisions, resulting from soft quarterly results, paint a challenging picture for the company’s shares in the near term.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment PLAY is a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), indicating that analysts have taken a bearish stance on the company’s earnings outlook.

For those seeking strong stocks, a great idea would be to focus on stocks carrying a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) – these stocks sport a notably stronger earnings outlook paired with the potential to deliver explosive gains in the near term.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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