Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY) Revenue, Margins & Financial Statements
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY) reported $2.10B in revenue over the most recent fiscal year on record, down 1.4% year over year. Growth has been contracting, a +7.5% compound annual rate over the last 7 years on record. Profit is growing roughly in line with, or slower than, sales. Operating margin is in the middle of its range of the last 8 years on record. Free cash flow ran 207% of net income in the latest year, cash generation is outpacing reported profit, a sign of solid earnings quality. Debt exceeds cash & investments by $1.51B. Share count fell 2.3% over the past year via buybacks.
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.'s revenue for the fiscal year ended Feb 2026 was $2.10B, a decrease of +1.4% compared to the prior year. Is growth accelerating, stable, slowing, or contracting? See the quarterly beat/miss history →
| Fiscal Year Ended | Revenue Growth |
|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | -1.4% |
| Feb 2025 | -3.3% |
| Feb 2024 | +12.3% |
| Jan 2023 | +50.6% |
| Jan 2022 | +198.7% |
| Jan 2021 | -67.8% |
| Feb 2020 | +7.1% |
"Accelerating" / "Slowing" means each of the last 3 years' growth rates moved consistently in that direction, not a subjective call.
Year-over-year growth by quarter, each quarter compared to the same quarter one year earlier, which avoids the seasonal noise of comparing sequential quarters. Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.'s most recent quarter grew -1.5% year-over-year, slower than the quarter before it.
| Quarter Ended | Revenue | YoY Growth |
|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | $559.20M | -1.5% |
| Feb 2026 (derived) | $529.50M | -0.9% |
| Nov 2025 | $448.20M | -1.1% |
| Aug 2025 | $557.40M | +0.1% |
| May 2025 | $567.70M | -3.5% |
| Feb 2025 (derived) | $534.50M | -10.8% |
| Nov 2024 | $453.00M | -3.0% |
| Aug 2024 | $557.10M | +2.8% |
Net income grew -73.7% year-over-year in the same quarter.
Profit is growing roughly in line with, or slower than, sales.
Compared against 7 other Communication Services stocks tracked on this site, not the whole market, and small enough that this is directional context, not a definitive benchmark.
EPS -195.9% year over year. A rough breakdown of what drove it (approximate, since EPS is roughly net income divided by share count):
Accounting profit is not the same as cash in the bank. Here's how PLAY converts revenue into real cash.
Total debt has risen for 4 straight years on record.
How PLAY deployed cash in the most recent year, across its actual cash-flow-statement uses.
Objective, rule-based checks against the figures above, not a subjective rating.
| Fiscal Year Ended | Revenue Growth | Margin Change | FCF Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | -1.4% | -6.2pp | +53.8% |
| Feb 2025 | -3.3% | -3.6pp | -740.9% |
| Feb 2024 | +12.3% | +0.5pp | -83.8% |
| Jan 2023 | +50.6% | -1.0pp | +10.1% |
| Jan 2022 | +198.7% | +72.2pp | +244.4% |
| Jan 2021 | -67.8% | -68.8pp | -317.3% |
| Feb 2020 | +7.1% | -1.8pp | -49.8% |
Is PLAY's revenue growing?
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.'s revenue growth has been contracting, at -1.4% in the most recent year on record. Over the last 7 years, revenue has compounded at roughly +7.5% annually.
Is PLAY's profit growing faster than its revenue?
Profit is growing roughly in line with, or slower than, sales.
Are PLAY's profit margins improving or declining?
Operating margin has compressed for 2 straight years on record. It is currently in the middle of the last 8 years.
Is PLAY's reported profit backed by real cash?
Operating cash flow ran -597% of net income, and free cash flow ran +207% of net income, in the most recent year. Cash generation is outpacing reported accounting profit.
Does PLAY have more cash than debt?
No, PLAY's total debt exceeds its cash & short-term investments by $1.51B.
Is PLAY diluting shareholders or buying back stock?
PLAY reduced its share count by +2.3% over the past year, consistent with active buybacks.
What are the biggest financial red flags for PLAY right now?
Revenue declined 1.4% year over year. Operating margin has compressed for 2 straight years on record. Debt exceeds cash & investments by 1,505,400,000 (raw units). Total debt has risen for 4 straight years on record. Free cash flow was negative in the most recent year. Operating cash flow covers only -597% of net income, profit isn't fully backed by cash.
Every line item as reported, with the annual/quarterly toggle and ratio table.
| Line item | Feb 3, 2026 | Feb 4, 2025 | Feb 4, 2024 | Jan 29, 2023 | Jan 30, 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $2.10B | $2.13B | $2.21B | $1.96B | $1.30B |
| Cost of Revenue | $300.30M | $314.40M | $353.00M | $323.20M | $204.90M |
| Gross Profit | $1.80B | $1.82B | $1.85B | $1.64B | $1.10B |
| General & Administrative | $117.00M | $99.50M | $113.80M | $136.70M | $75.50M |
| Total Operating Expenses | $2.02B | $1.91B | $1.90B | $1.70B | $1.12B |
| Operating Income | $86.10M | $220.40M | $306.60M | $262.50M | $187.20M |
| Interest Expense | — | — | $127.40M | $87.40M | $53.90M |
| Pretax Income | -$67.90M | $69.90M | $163.10M | $173.60M | $127.70M |
| Income Tax Expense | -$19.20M | $11.60M | $36.20M | $36.50M | $19.00M |
| Net Income | -$48.70M | $58.30M | $126.90M | $137.10M | $108.70M |
| EPS (Basic) | $-1.40 | $1.49 | $2.94 | $2.83 | $2.26 |
| EPS (Diluted) | $-1.40 | $1.46 | $2.88 | $2.79 | $2.21 |
| Weighted Avg Shares (Basic) | 34.67M | 39.07M | 43.20M | 48.49M | 48.14M |
| Weighted Avg Shares (Diluted) | 34.67M | 40.01M | 44.07M | 49.17M | 49.26M |
Sourced from SEC filings (10-K / 10-Q). Figures not separately reported by the company are shown as —, not estimated. Quarterly "derived Q4" values are calculated as the full fiscal year total minus the three reported quarters.
Computed from the annual figures above, most recent first.
| Ratio | Feb 3, 2026 | Feb 4, 2025 | Feb 4, 2024 | Jan 29, 2023 | Jan 30, 2022 | Jan 31, 2021 | Feb 2, 2020 | Feb 3, 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 85.7% | 85.3% | 84.0% | 83.5% | 84.3% | 82.8% | 82.8% | 82.6% |
| Operating Margin | 4.1% | 10.3% | 13.9% | 13.4% | 14.4% | -57.9% | 10.9% | 12.7% |
| Net Margin | -2.3% | 2.7% | 5.8% | 7.0% | 8.3% | -47.4% | 7.4% | 9.3% |
| Return on Equity | -53.4% | 40.0% | 50.5% | 33.4% | 39.5% | -135.1% | 59.1% | 30.2% |
| Current Ratio | 0.29 | 0.22 | 0.32 | 0.67 | 0.47 | 0.44 | 0.27 | 0.37 |
| Debt / Equity | 16.69 | 10.19 | 5.15 | 3.00 | 1.57 | 3.89 | 3.82 | 1.01 |
| Free Cash Flow | -$100.60M | -$217.90M | $34.00M | $210.20M | $191.00M | -$132.24M | $60.85M | $121.33M |