Dave & Buster's
PLAY Nasdaq Restaurants Financials FY2016–FY2025
Dave & Buster's revenue fell 1.4% to $2.1 billion in fiscal 2025. Its operating margin was 4.1%, down from 10.3% a year earlier. Free cash flow was −$101 million. It paid out $24 million in dividends and buybacks. The diluted share count fell 13.3%.
About these figures. Dave & Buster's shareholders' equity fell to a small fraction of its assets in fiscal 2025, so return on equity is left blank that year.
What Dave & Buster's does
Dave & Buster's owns and runs 243 entertainment and dining venues in North America under two brands. As of February 3, 2026 it had 179 Dave & Buster's stores in 43 states, Puerto Rico and Canada, which combine a full food and drink menu, arcade games and sports viewing. It also had 64 Main Event stores in 22 states, which offer food and drinks along with bowling, laser tag, arcade games and virtual reality. Outside North America it is a franchisor, with four franchised Dave & Buster's locations open.
Game play is a core part of the business. Customers buy game cards or credits at kiosks, through the mobile app or from staff. Entertainment revenue made up about 62.9% of total revenue in fiscal 2025, with the rest from other sources. Dave & Buster's stores average about 125 games and Main Event stores about 112.
It leases space for its stores under long-term leases, and the company has substantial debt. In fiscal 2024 it moved its year-end from Sunday to Tuesday to avoid ending periods on its busier weekends.
- Legal name
- Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc.
- Fiscal year ends
- February 3, 2026
- Latest annual report
- 10-K · Mar 31, 2026
- Accession · CIK
- 0001525769-26-000008
0001525769
Revenue and margins
Dave & Buster's had $2.1B of revenue in fiscal 2025, down 1.4% on the year before.
Net income and earnings per share
Loss periods are shown in red.
Returns on capital
After-tax operating income as a share of the money invested in the business: debt plus equity, minus cash.
Cash flow
Free cash flow was −$101M in fiscal 2025, −4.8% of revenue. Cash from operations minus capital spending.
Dividends, buybacks and share count
Dave & Buster's returned $23.9M to shareholders in fiscal 2025. The diluted share count fell 13.4%.
Value Dave & Buster's yourself
Change the assumptions and see what they imply per share. These are models, not forecasts or price targets — the answer depends entirely on what you put in.
Discounted cash flow
Value per share
—
Adds net cash of −$1.6B and divides by 34.7M diluted shares. Ten years of cash flows plus a terminal value, discounted to today.
Balance sheet
Cash, debt and the ratios that show how comfortably Dave & Buster's can carry it.
| Fiscal year end | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash and short-term investments | $25.9M | $182M | $37.3M | $6.9M | $16.6M |
| Debt incl. finance leases | $440M | $1.3B | $1.3B | $1.5B | $1.6B |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 1.3x | 2.6x | 2.5x | 3.3x | 4.3x |
| Debt / equity | 1.6x | 3.1x | 5.3x | — | — |
| Interest coverage | 3.5x | 3.0x | 2.4x | 1.6x | 0.6x |
| Current ratio | 0.5x | 0.7x | 0.3x | 0.2x | 0.3x |
| Quick ratio | 0.3x | 0.6x | 0.2x | 0.1x | 0.2x |
| Total assets | $2.3B | $3.8B | $3.8B | $4.0B | $4.1B |
| Total liabilities | $2.1B | $3.4B | $3.5B | $3.9B | $4.0B |
| Shareholders' equity | $275M | $411M | $251M | $146M | $91.2M |
| Net debt (− = net cash) | $414M | $1.1B | $1.3B | $1.5B | $1.6B |
Insider trades
Open-market purchases and sales by officers, directors and 10% owners, from Form 4 filings. 'Plan' marks trades under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan.
Bought, 12 months
$0.1M
3 insiders
Sold, 12 months
$0.1M
1 insider
Of sales under plans
0%
$0.0M
| Date | Insider | Trade | Shares | Price | Value | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 28, 2026 | Cory HattonInterim CFO | Bought | 4,000 | $6.50 | $0.0M | Form 4 |
| Sep 17, 2026 | Nathaniel LipmanDirector | Bought | 12,000 | $6.78 | $0.1M | Form 4 |
| Apr 17, 2026 | Steve KlohnSVP Chief Information Officer | Sold | 6,989 | $14.69 | $0.1M | Form 4 |
| Jan 16, 2026 | Rodolfo Rodriguez JrSVP, Chief Legal Officer | Bought | 730 | $20.10 | $0.0M | Form 4 |
Piotroski F-score
Nine pass/fail tests of profitability, funding and efficiency. 8–9 is strong, 0–2 weak.
| Test | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net income is positive | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Cash from operations is positive | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Return on assets rose | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Cash from operations exceeds net income | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Debt fell relative to assets | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Current ratio rose | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Share count didn't rise | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Gross margin rose | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Revenue rose relative to assets | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| F-score | 6 / 9 | 5 / 9 | 6 / 9 |
| Accruals ratio | −6.3% | −6.5% | −8.4% |
| Altman Z'' | 0.62 | 0.39 | 0.15 |
Similar companies
Each company's latest fiscal year. Fiscal years end in different months, so periods don't line up exactly.
| Company | Market cap | Growth | Op. margin | FCF margin | ROIC | P/E | F-score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave & Buster's PLAY | $242M | −1.4% | 4.1% | −4.8% | 4.1% | — | 6 | |
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10 years of figures
US$ millions unless stated. Hover a ratio's name for its definition.
| Fiscal year | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income statement | ||||||||||
| Revenue | $1.0B | $1.1B | $1.3B | $1.4B | $437M | $1.3B | $2.0B | $2.2B | $2.1B | $2.1B |
| Gross profit | $825M | $943M | $1.0B | $1.1B | $362M | $1.1B | $1.6B | $1.9B | $1.8B | $1.8B |
| Operating income | $151M | $166M | $161M | $148M | −$253M | $187M | $263M | $307M | $220M | $86.1M |
| Interest expense | $7.0M | $8.7M | $13.1M | $20.9M | $36.9M | $53.9M | $87.4M | $127M | $135M | $154M |
| Pretax income | $144M | $156M | $148M | $127M | −$290M | $128M | $174M | $163M | $69.9M | −$67.9M |
| Income tax | $52.7M | $35.4M | $30.7M | $26.9M | −$83.4M | $19.0M | $36.5M | $36.2M | $11.6M | −$19.2M |
| Net income | $90.8M | $121M | $117M | $100M | −$207M | $109M | $137M | $127M | $58.3M | −$48.7M |
| Diluted EPS | $2.10 | $2.84 | $2.93 | $2.94 | −$4.75 | $2.21 | $2.79 | $2.88 | $1.46 | −$1.40 |
| Diluted shares | 0.04B | 0.04B | 0.04B | 0.03B | 0.04B | 0.05B | 0.05B | 0.04B | 0.04B | 0.03B |
| Cash flow | ||||||||||
| Cash from operations | $231M | $265M | $338M | $289M | −$49.2M | $283M | $444M | $364M | $312M | $291M |
| Capital expenditure | $181M | $220M | $216M | $228M | $83.0M | $92.2M | $234M | $330M | $530M | $391M |
| Free cash flow | $50.8M | $44.8M | $121M | $60.9M | −$132M | $191M | $210M | $34.0M | −$218M | −$101M |
| Depreciation and amortization | $88.3M | $103M | $118M | $133M | $139M | $138M | $169M | $209M | $238M | $279M |
| Stock-based compensation | $5.8M | $8.9M | $7.4M | $6.9M | $7.0M | $12.5M | $20.0M | $16.0M | $4.6M | $19.6M |
| Acquisitions | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $819M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M |
| Share buybacks | $28.8M | $152M | $149M | $297M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $25.0M | $300M | $172M | $23.9M |
| Dividends paid | $0.0M | $0.0M | $11.6M | $15.7M | $4.9M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M |
| Dividends and buybacks | $28.8M | $152M | $161M | $313M | $4.9M | $0.0M | $25.0M | $300M | $172M | $23.9M |
| Balance sheet | ||||||||||
| Cash and short-term investments | $20.1M | $18.8M | $21.6M | $24.7M | $11.9M | $25.9M | $182M | $37.3M | $6.9M | $16.6M |
| Total debt | $265M | $367M | $394M | $648M | $610M | $440M | $1.3B | $1.3B | $1.5B | $1.6B |
| Finance lease liabilities | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $0.0M | $33.3M |
| Current assets | $75.6M | $94.9M | $91.1M | $79.0M | $119M | $146M | $294M | $138M | $94.4M | $124M |
| Current liabilities | $178M | $208M | $244M | $291M | $272M | $312M | $438M | $436M | $434M | $435M |
| Inventory | $21.9M | $27.6M | $27.3M | $34.5M | $23.8M | $40.3M | $45.4M | $37.2M | $39.8M | $39.9M |
| Property and equipment, net | $607M | $727M | $805M | $901M | $815M | $779M | $1.2B | $1.3B | $1.6B | $1.7B |
| Total assets | $1.1B | $1.2B | $1.3B | $2.4B | $2.4B | $2.3B | $3.8B | $3.8B | $4.0B | $4.1B |
| Total liabilities | $613M | $775M | $885M | $2.2B | $2.2B | $2.1B | $3.4B | $3.5B | $3.9B | $4.0B |
| Shareholders' equity | $440M | $422M | $388M | $170M | $153M | $275M | $411M | $251M | $146M | $91.2M |
| Margins | ||||||||||
| Gross margin | 82.1% | 82.7% | 82.6% | 82.8% | 82.8% | 84.3% | 83.6% | 84.0% | 85.3% | 85.7% |
| Operating margin | 15.0% | 14.5% | 12.7% | 10.9% | −57.9% | 14.4% | 13.4% | 13.9% | 10.3% | 4.1% |
| EBITDA margin | 23.8% | 23.6% | 22.1% | 20.7% | −26.1% | 25.0% | 22.0% | 23.4% | 21.5% | 17.4% |
| Net margin | 9.0% | 10.6% | 9.3% | 7.4% | −47.4% | 8.3% | 7.0% | 5.8% | 2.7% | −2.3% |
| FCF margin | 5.1% | 3.9% | 9.6% | 4.5% | −30.3% | 14.7% | 10.7% | 1.5% | −10.2% | −4.8% |
| Returns | ||||||||||
| Return on capital | 14.2% | 17.6% | 16.7% | 15.0% | −25.8% | 22.1% | 18.8% | 15.6% | 11.4% | 4.1% |
| Return on capital employed | 17.5% | 17.8% | 16.0% | 9.5% | −12.1% | 9.1% | 9.8% | 9.2% | 6.4% | 2.4% |
| Return on equity | 23.1% | 28.1% | 29.0% | 36.0% | −128.2% | 50.7% | 40.0% | 38.4% | 29.4% | — |
| Return on assets | 8.8% | 10.8% | 9.5% | 5.5% | −8.8% | 4.6% | 4.5% | 3.4% | 1.5% | −1.2% |
| Growth | ||||||||||
| Revenue growth | 15.9% | 13.4% | 11.0% | 7.1% | −67.8% | 198.7% | 50.6% | 12.3% | −3.3% | −1.4% |
| Net income growth | 52.3% | 33.2% | −3.1% | −14.5% | −306.4% | — | 26.1% | −7.4% | −54.1% | −183.5% |
| EPS growth | 51.1% | 35.2% | 3.2% | 0.3% | −261.6% | — | 26.2% | 3.2% | −49.3% | −195.9% |
| FCF growth | 110.7% | −11.8% | 171.0% | −49.8% | −317.3% | — | 10.1% | −83.8% | −740.9% | — |
| Share count change | 1.2% | −1.6% | −6.1% | −14.7% | 27.7% | 13.1% | −0.2% | −10.4% | −9.2% | −13.4% |
| Financial health | ||||||||||
| Net debt / EBITDA | 1.0x | 1.3x | 1.3x | 2.2x | — | 1.3x | 2.6x | 2.5x | 3.3x | 4.3x |
| Debt / equity | 0.6x | 0.9x | 1.0x | 3.8x | 4.0x | 1.6x | 3.1x | 5.3x | — | — |
| Interest coverage | 21.6x | 19.1x | 12.3x | 7.1x | −6.9x | 3.5x | 3.0x | 2.4x | 1.6x | 0.6x |
| Current ratio | 0.4x | 0.5x | 0.4x | 0.3x | 0.4x | 0.5x | 0.7x | 0.3x | 0.2x | 0.3x |
| Quick ratio | 0.3x | 0.3x | 0.3x | 0.2x | 0.4x | 0.3x | 0.6x | 0.2x | 0.1x | 0.2x |
| Capital allocation | ||||||||||
| Capex / revenue | 18.0% | 19.3% | 17.1% | 16.8% | 19.0% | 7.1% | 11.9% | 15.0% | 24.9% | 18.6% |
| Stock comp / revenue | 0.6% | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 1.6% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 0.7% | 0.2% | 0.9% |
| Payouts / FCF | 56.8% | 339.3% | 132.4% | 514.4% | — | 0.0% | 11.9% | 882.4% | — | — |
| Quality scores | ||||||||||
| Piotroski F-score | 7.0 | 8.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 |
| Altman Z'' | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 0.5 | −0.8 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Accruals ratio | −13.7% | −12.8% | −17.8% | −10.4% | −6.7% | −7.4% | −10.1% | −6.3% | −6.5% | −8.4% |
Source: SEC EDGAR XBRL filings (CIK 0001525769). Data updated October 11, 2026. Quarterly fourth quarters are the full year minus the first nine months. For information only — not investment advice. Check the original filings before relying on any figure.