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

Dave & Buster's Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:PLAY - Get Free Report) was the target of a large 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 short-interest ratio is currently 5.8 days.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Christopher Daniel Morris acquired 14,912 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $33.67 per share, with a total value of $502,087.04. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 83,847 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,823,128.49. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Eminence Capital LP grew its position in Dave & Buster's Entertainment by 69.3% during the 2nd quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 3,768,476 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $150,023,000 after purchasing an additional 1,542,154 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment by 8.2% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,266,280 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $50,411,000 after acquiring an additional 95,499 shares in the last quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment by 104.7% in the second quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 1,225,000 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $48,767,000 after acquiring an additional 626,497 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment by 2.2% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,144,268 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $45,553,000 after acquiring an additional 25,138 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment by 2.9% in the second quarter. Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. now owns 1,035,106 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $41,208,000 after acquiring an additional 29,627 shares in the last quarter. 91.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Dave & Buster's Entertainment Stock Up 4.6 %

NASDAQ:PLAY traded up $1.71 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $39.09. 1,257,338 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,265,695. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $32.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $40.57. Dave & Buster's Entertainment has a fifty-two week low of $29.31 and a fifty-two week high of $69.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.54. The company has a market capitalization of $1.54 billion, a PE ratio of 14.00 and a beta of 2.15.

Dave & Buster's Entertainment (NASDAQ:PLAY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 10th. The restaurant operator reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.28. Dave & Buster's Entertainment had a net margin of 5.10% and a return on equity of 51.75%. The company had revenue of $557.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $560.65 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.94 EPS. Dave & Buster's Entertainment's revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Dave & Buster's Entertainment will post 2.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment from $64.00 to $59.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Loop Capital reduced their target price on shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment from $63.00 to $59.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Benchmark began coverage on shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment in a report on Monday, October 7th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment from $65.00 to $55.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Dave & Buster's Entertainment from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently 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.