PLAY · Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.
Price & Indicators
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Metrics snapshot
Useful current figures from the complete screener profile.
AI Brief
Q2 FY27 earnings call · Sep 14, 2026TL;DR. Dave & Buster's reported a Q2 comparable store sales decline of 2.9% with adjusted EBITDA falling to $98.9M on a $10M non-cash deferral lap and softer sales, but management pointed to sequential improvement in July and Q3-to-date, continued F&B and special events growth, $15M of identified cost savings (with more targeted), and guided net capex to $150M or less in FY27.
- + Adjusted free cash flow turned positive $19.5M YTD vs. negative $36.5M a year ago, a ~$56M improvement.
- + Net capex guided to $150M or less in FY27 vs. <$200M in FY26 as new store openings are pulled back.
- + Same-store sales trends improved sequentially in July (-1.6%) and through the first five weeks of Q3, with management expecting continuing improvement.
- − Adjusted EBITDA fell to $98.9M (18.2% margin) from $129.8M (23.3% margin) in the prior-year quarter.
- − Company swung to a GAAP net loss of $12.5M / $0.36 per diluted share from net income of $11.4M / $0.32 a year ago, and adjusted net loss of $9.5M / $0.27 vs. adjusted net income of $14.2M / $0.40.
AI-generated from the earnings call and 8-K · may contain errors · not investment advice
Equibles Rating
blended score · not investment adviceBlended from price, momentum, positioning, fundamentals & volatility · daily-close · not investment advice. Market backdrop is context, not part of the score.
Guidance & track record
Guidance from company 8-Ks · delivered figures from as-reported statements · no analyst estimates involved.
Technicals
trend & momentum for long-term holders SellIllustrative technical + ownership context — a signal mix, not investment advice.
Key metrics
the company's own KPIs, from written earnings releases and filings| Metric | Latest | Period | YoY |
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| Adjusted EBITDA non-GAAP | $98.9M | Q2 FY2026 | — |
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| Adjusted free cash flow non-GAAP | $19.5M | Six Months Ended August 4, 2026 | — |
| Available liquidity | $492.1M | Q2 FY2026 | — |
| Company-owned stores at end of period | 250 | Q2 FY2026 | — |
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| Comparable store operating weeks | 2,912 | Three Months Ended August 4, 2026 filing | — |
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| Comparable store revenues | $506.1M | Three Months Ended August 4, 2026 filing | — |
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| Comparable store sales | 2.9% | the three months ended August 4, 2026 filing | — |
| Dave & Buster's branded stores | 184 | Q2 FY2026 | — |
| Main Event branded stores | 66 | Q2 FY2026 | — |
| Noncomparable store operating weeks | 292 | Three Months Ended August 4, 2026 filing | — |
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| Noncomparable store revenues | $39.9M | Three Months Ended August 4, 2026 filing | — |
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| Store operating income before depreciation and amortization non-GAAP | $280.4M | Six Months Ended August 4, 2026 | — |
| Store operating weeks in the period | 6,364 | Six Months Ended August 4, 2026 | — |
| Total revenue per square foot per store operating weeks in the period | $4.23 | Six Months Ended August 4, 2026 | — |
| Total revenue per store operating weeks in the period | 173K | Six Months Ended August 4, 2026 | — |
| Total store operating weeks | 3,204 | Three Months Ended August 4, 2026 filing | — |
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Figures exactly as the company stated them in writing · click a metric with a to chart its history · period links open the stating document · "filing" marks figures stated in the 10-K/10-Q · YoY needs an exactly comparable prior-year period
Versus peers
Entertainment — same industry group| Company | Mkt cap | YTD | Rev growth Y/Y | P/E | Short % shares |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
PLAY
this stock
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.
|
$230.58M | -58.4% | -1.4% | — | 28.2% |
|
NFLX
Netflix Inc
|
$296.24B | -28.5% | +15.9% | 22.4 | 2.3% |
|
DIS
Walt Disney Co
|
$176.19B | -10.2% | +3.4% | 21.1 | 1.1% |
|
WBD
Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.
|
$77.48B | +7.4% | +53.5% | — | 2.4% |
|
LYV
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.
|
$40.26B | +18.4% | +8.8% | — | 9.8% |
Peers by industry group · P/E from as-reported trailing EPS · short % is of shares outstanding
At a glance
key data from every sectionPerformance
| 5D | 20D | 120D | MTD | YTD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLAY | +2.0% | -22.2% | -46.6% | +5.8% | -58.4% |
| SPY | -0.2% | -0.5% | +12.2% | +0.9% | +12.9% |
| vs SPY | +2.2% | -21.7% | -58.8% | +4.9% | -71.2% |
Capital returns
Dividends per share over the trailing 365 days by ex-date · buyback figures as last reported in SEC filings ("spent" derived as authorized − remaining; when several programs run concurrently, authorized is their combined total per the newest filing) · components shown separately — trailing-year buyback spend isn't tracked, so no combined shareholder yield is derived.