Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY) Financial Ratios
17 years of historical data (2009–2025) · Communication Services · Entertainment
EV/EBITDA
↓
9.27
-8% vs avg
5yr avg: 10.05
30Y Low8.7·High12.1
P/FCF
↑
N/A
—
5yr avg: 29.41
30Y Low9.1·High69.4
P/B Ratio
↑
4.54
↓-36% vs avg
5yr avg: 7.07
30Y Low4.1·High9.7
ROE
↓
-41.1%
↑-275% vs avg
5yr avg: 23.5%
30Y Low-128%·High51%
Debt/EBITDA
↑
8.23
↑+27% vs avg
5yr avg: 6.48
30Y Low1.1·High8.2
Percentile shows where the current value sits in 30-year historical distribution. Sparklines show 5-year trend.
PLAY Valuation Multiples
Price-based multiples — how expensive the stock is relative to earnings, sales, book value, and cash flow
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. currently has a negative P/E ratio, indicating the company is operating at a loss on a trailing-twelve-month basis.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $416M | $674M | $1.1B | $2.4B | $2.0B | $1.7B | $1.5B | $1.5B | $2.1B | $2.0B | $2.4B |
| Enterprise Value | $3.6B | $3.8B | $4.2B | $5.2B | $4.7B | $3.5B | $3.4B | $3.4B | $2.4B | $2.3B | $2.6B |
| P/E Ratio → | -8.54 | — | 18.19 | 18.59 | 14.91 | 15.98 | — | 15.02 | 17.56 | 16.55 | 25.93 |
| P/S Ratio | 0.20 | 0.32 | 0.50 | 1.07 | 1.04 | 1.33 | 3.39 | 1.11 | 1.63 | 1.76 | 2.35 |
| P/B Ratio | 4.54 | 7.39 | 7.29 | 9.39 | 4.98 | 6.31 | 9.67 | 8.88 | 5.30 | 4.75 | 5.36 |
| P/FCF | — | — | — | 69.38 | 9.73 | 9.11 | — | 24.74 | 16.95 | 44.70 | 46.45 |
| P/OCF | 1.43 | 2.32 | 3.40 | 6.48 | 4.60 | 6.14 | — | 5.21 | 6.09 | 7.56 | 10.19 |
P/E links to full P/E history page with 30-year chart
PLAY EV Ratios
Enterprise-value multiples — capital-structure-neutral measures of total business value
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.'s enterprise value stands at 9.3x EBITDA, 8% below its 5-year average of 10.0x. This is roughly in line with the Communication Services sector median of 9.6x.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV / Revenue | — | 1.82 | 1.97 | 2.37 | 2.41 | 2.66 | 7.74 | 2.51 | 1.92 | 2.06 | 2.59 |
| EV / EBITDA | 9.27 | 9.94 | 9.15 | 10.17 | 10.59 | 10.40 | — | 12.11 | 8.70 | 8.75 | 10.89 |
| EV / EBIT | 33.91 | 49.13 | 20.44 | 18.48 | 18.68 | 19.55 | — | 23.04 | 15.16 | 14.30 | 17.35 |
| EV / FCF | — | — | — | 154.01 | 22.48 | 18.16 | — | 55.81 | 20.02 | 52.46 | 51.26 |
PLAY Profitability
Margins and return-on-capital ratios measuring operating efficiency
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. earns an operating margin of 5.0%, above the Communication Services sector average of 1.6%. Operating margins have compressed from 13.9% to 5.0% over the past 3 years, signaling potential cost pressures or competitive headwinds. A negative ROE of -41.1% indicates the company is currently destroying shareholder equity. ROIC of 2.4% represents below-average returns on invested capital.
Margins
Full margin charts and quarterly trend are on the Earnings History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 85.7% | 85.7% | 85.3% | 32.8% | 83.5% | 84.3% | 82.8% | 82.8% | 82.6% | 82.7% | 82.1% |
| Operating Margin | 5.0% | 5.0% | 10.3% | 13.9% | 14.1% | 15.0% | -57.9% | 10.9% | 12.7% | 14.5% | 15.0% |
| Net Profit Margin | -2.3% | -2.3% | 2.7% | 5.8% | 7.0% | 8.3% | -47.4% | 7.4% | 9.3% | 10.6% | 9.0% |
Return on Capital
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | -41.1% | -41.1% | 29.4% | 38.4% | 40.0% | 50.7% | -128.2% | 36.0% | 29.0% | 28.1% | 23.1% |
| ROA | -1.2% | -1.2% | 1.5% | 3.4% | 4.5% | 4.6% | -8.8% | 5.5% | 9.5% | 10.8% | 8.8% |
| ROIC | 2.4% | 2.4% | 5.2% | 7.4% | 8.2% | 7.2% | -9.2% | 7.9% | 15.8% | 17.1% | 16.8% |
| ROCE | 2.9% | 2.9% | 6.4% | 9.2% | 10.3% | 9.5% | -12.1% | 9.5% | 16.0% | 17.8% | 17.5% |
PLAY Leverage & Debt
Solvency and debt-coverage ratios — lower is generally safer
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. carries a Debt/EBITDA ratio of 8.2x, which is highly leveraged (128% above the sector average of 3.6x). Net debt stands at $3.1B ($3.2B total debt minus $17M cash). Interest coverage of just 0.5x is concerning — the company has limited headroom to absorb earnings volatility before struggling with debt service.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt / Equity | 34.71 | 34.71 | 21.53 | 11.60 | 6.97 | 6.37 | 12.47 | 11.29 | 1.01 | 0.87 | 0.60 |
| Debt / EBITDA | 8.23 | 8.23 | 6.84 | 5.66 | 6.41 | 5.26 | — | 6.83 | 1.41 | 1.36 | 1.11 |
| Net Debt / Equity | — | 34.52 | 21.48 | 11.45 | 6.53 | 6.27 | 12.39 | 11.14 | 0.96 | 0.82 | 0.56 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 8.19 | 8.19 | 6.83 | 5.59 | 6.01 | 5.18 | — | 6.74 | 1.33 | 1.29 | 1.02 |
| Debt / FCF | — | — | — | 84.63 | 12.75 | 9.05 | — | 31.07 | 3.07 | 7.76 | 4.81 |
| Interest Coverage | 0.53 | 0.53 | 1.51 | 2.15 | 3.02 | 3.57 | -6.93 | 7.04 | 12.21 | 18.99 | 21.10 |
PLAY Liquidity & Efficiency
Short-term solvency ratios and asset-utilisation metrics
The current ratio of 0.29x is below 1.0, meaning current liabilities exceed current assets.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 0.29 | 0.29 | 0.22 | 0.32 | 0.67 | 0.47 | 0.44 | 0.27 | 0.37 | 0.46 | 0.43 |
| Quick Ratio | 0.19 | 0.19 | 0.13 | 0.23 | 0.57 | 0.34 | 0.35 | 0.15 | 0.26 | 0.32 | 0.30 |
| Cash Ratio | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.02 | 0.09 | 0.41 | 0.08 | 0.04 | 0.08 | 0.09 | 0.09 | 0.11 |
| Asset Turnover | — | 0.51 | 0.53 | 0.59 | 0.52 | 0.56 | 0.19 | 0.57 | 0.99 | 0.95 | 0.95 |
| Inventory Turnover | 7.53 | 7.53 | 7.90 | 39.82 | 7.12 | 5.08 | 3.15 | 6.77 | 8.06 | 7.14 | 8.25 |
| Days Sales Outstanding | — | 9.46 | 5.00 | 7.41 | 8.77 | 18.17 | 58.59 | 2.34 | 3.64 | 6.34 | 2.14 |
PLAY Shareholder Yields
Earnings, FCF, buyback, and dividend yields — total returns to shareholders
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. returns 0.4% to shareholders annually primarily through share buybacks.
Dividends
Full dividend history and growth charts are on the Dividend History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0.3% | 1.0% | 0.6% | — | — |
| Payout Ratio | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 15.7% | 9.9% | — | — |
Total Shareholder Return Metrics
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings Yield | — | — | 5.5% | 5.4% | 6.7% | 6.3% | — | 6.7% | 5.7% | 6.0% | 3.9% |
| FCF Yield | — | — | — | 1.4% | 10.3% | 11.0% | — | 4.0% | 5.9% | 2.2% | 2.2% |
| Buyback Yield | 0.4% | 0.3% | 16.3% | 12.8% | 1.6% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 19.8% | 7.3% | 7.6% | 1.2% |
| Total Shareholder Yield | 0.4% | 0.3% | 16.3% | 12.8% | 1.6% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 20.8% | 7.8% | 7.6% | 1.2% |
| Shares Outstanding | — | $35M | $40M | $44M | $49M | $49M | $44M | $34M | $40M | $43M | $43M |
Peer Comparison
Compare PLAY with 10 similar companies in its peer group
| Company | Market Cap | P/E | EV/EBITDA | P/FCF | Gross Margin | Op Margin | ROE | ROIC | Debt/EBITDA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 PLAYYou | $416M | -8.5 | 9.3 | — | 85.7% | 5.0% | -41.1% | 2.4% | 8.2 |
 EAT | $7B | 19.8 | 12.2 | 17.1 | 18.2% | 9.5% | 186.7% | 19.1% | 2.4 |
 TXRH | $12B | 29.1 | 18.9 | 34.2 | 12.4% | 8.6% | 28.4% | 14.5% | 2.7 |
 DENN | $322M | 15.2 | 12.1 | 350.6 | 73.4% | 10.0% | — | 9.7% | 6.8 |
 ARKR | $22M | -1.9 | 46.6 | — | 35.6% | -0.8% | -30.3% | -0.8% | 41.3 |
 BJRI | $1B | 25.3 | 13.1 | 28.0 | 74.7% | 3.3% | 13.3% | 4.1% | 4.0 |
 FUN | $3B | -1.6 | 10.3 | — | 20.1% | 9.0% | -104.2% | 3.1% | 7.1 |
 PLNT | $4B | 20.2 | 7.8 | 16.5 | 82.6% | 29.8% | — | 35.2% | 0.8 |
 GOLF | $6B | 34.8 | 20.9 | 52.6 | 47.3% | 11.5% | 23.8% | 13.3% | 3.1 |
 SYY | $38B | 21.1 | 12.2 | 21.2 | 18.4% | 3.8% | 97.5% | 15.7% | 3.5 |
 PFGC | $16B | 47.5 | 15.8 | 23.1 | 11.7% | 1.3% | 7.9% | 5.7% | 5.2 |
| Communication Services Median | — | 15.3 | 9.6 | 11.4 | 48.5% | 1.6% | 2.0% | 2.6% | 3.6 |
Peer selection based on competitive and market overlap. Compare multiple stocks →
Download Financial Ratios Data
Includes 30+ ratios · 17 years · Updated daily
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PLAY — Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying PLAY stock.
What is Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.'s P/E ratio?
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.'s current P/E ratio is -8.5x. The historical average is 30.6x.
What is Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.'s EV/EBITDA?
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.'s current EV/EBITDA is 9.3x. This enterprise value multiple compares the company's total value (equity + debt - cash) to its EBITDA. The historical average is 10.0x.
What is Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.'s ROE?
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.'s return on equity (ROE) is -41.1%. The historical average is 7.5%.
Is PLAY stock overvalued?
Based on historical data, Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. is trading at a P/E of -8.5x. Compare with industry peers and growth rates for a complete picture.
What are Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.'s profit margins?
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. has 85.7% gross margin and 5.0% operating margin.
How much debt does Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. have?
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.'s Debt/EBITDA ratio is 8.2x, indicating high leverage. A ratio above 4x may signal elevated financial risk.