Finances

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY) announced its fourth quarter and full year earnings on Monday, April 7. Despite the arcade company reporting lower-than-anticipated sales for the quarter, the company’s stock rose nearly 3% following the earnings release.

Revenue reached $534.5 million for the fourth quarter. This was almost an 11% decrease from revenue of $599.1 million reported in the same quarter last year and below analysts’ expectations of $549.05 million. For the full year, revenue came in at $2.1 billion, down from $2.2 billion reported last year.

“While we are disappointed by our results in the fourth quarter, we are very encouraged by the clear opportunities we have identified over the past few months and the most recent trends in the business since taking actions to unwind mistakes and make appropriate changes,” said Dave & Buster’s Interim CEO, Kevin Sheehan. “Importantly, the current leadership team and the full Board are laser focused on managing this business to drive both revenue growth and free cash flow generation. Our team could not be more excited by the opportunities we see ahead to meaningfully improve the operating performance of the business and shareholder value.”

Dave & Buster’s reported quarterly net income of $9.3 million or $0.24 per adjusted share. Last year at this time, the company reported net income of $36.2 million or $0.88 per adjusted share. Full-year net income came in at $58.3 million, compared to $126.9 million one year ago.

Dave & Buster’s combined comparable store sales decreased 9.4% compared to the same time last year. The company’s Entertainment segment reported revenue of $335 million while Food and Beverage revenue came in at $199.5 million for the quarter. Store operating income before depreciation and amortization was $154.3 million, reflecting a 15% decrease from $181.7 million the prior year. The company opened five new stores in the quarter for a total of 232 locations by the end of the fourth quarter.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY) shares closed at $17.10, up 6% for the week.

Levi Strauss Posts Earnings Report

Levi Strauss & Co. (LEVI) announced its first quarter financial results on Monday, April 7. The denim powerhouse’s revenues exceeded expectations for the quarter, causing its shares to rise 4% following the earnings release.

Levi’s reported revenue of $1.53 billion for the first quarter, which was up 3% from revenue of $1.48 billion in the same quarter last year. While this was slightly below analysts’ expectations of $1.54 billion, it does not include $67 million in sales from its Dockers business which, on a comparable basis, resulted in revenue exceeding quarterly expectations.  

“We exceeded revenue and profitability expectations in Q1 marking a strong start to the year, another proof point that our transformation strategy is working,” said Levi Strauss & Co. CEO, Michelle Gass. “The Levi’s brand is stronger than ever, and we will continue to fuel this momentum through a robust product pipeline and by keeping the brand firmly at the center of culture across the globe.”

The company reported net income of $135 million or $0.34 per adjusted share. This was an improvement from a net loss of $10.6 million or $0.03 per adjusted share reported during the same quarter last year.

The company’s global direct-to-consumer (DTC) revenue and e-commerce segments saw significant growth, increasing 9% and 13% respectively. Levi’s declared a dividend of $0.13 per share of common stock, payable on May 9, 2025, to the stockholders of record for Class A and Class B common stock on April 24, 2025. The company reaffirmed its full-year fiscal 2025 guidance and anticipates net revenue to decline between 1% to 2% year-over-year and adjusted earnings per share between $1.20 to $1.25.

Levi Strauss & Co. (LEVI) shares ended at $15.04, up 12% for the week.

WD-40 Announces Earnings Report

WD-40 Company (WDFC) announced its second quarter earnings on Tuesday, April 8. Although the manufacturer of household and multi-use products missed revenue estimates, the company’s shares rose over 2% following the release.

The company’s net sales for the second quarter totaled $146.1 million. This was up 5% from sales of $139.1 million during the same quarter last year but below analysts’ estimates of $154.4 million.

"We delivered another strong quarter with net sales growth driven by robust performance in both the Americas and EIMEA regions,” said WD-40 Company CEO, Steve Brass. “Our core maintenance product sales grew by 6% in the second quarter, aligning with our established long-term growth objectives.”

WD-40 reported net income of $29.9 million or $2.19 per adjusted share for the quarter. This was up from earnings during the same quarter last year of $15.5 million or $1.14 per adjusted share.

WD-40’s Americas segment net sales increased by 3%, reaching $65.5 million for the quarter. The Europe, India, Middle East and Africa segment reported an increase in sales of 10% in the second quarter to $59.6 million primarily due to an increase in sales of maintenance products in Italy, the Benelux region and France. Sales in the Asia-Pacific segment declined by 1% to $21.0 million. WD-40 Company’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.94 per share payable on April 30, 2025, to stockholders of record at the close of business on April 18, 2025. The company updated its full fiscal year guidance and expects revenue to be between $600 million and $630 million.

WD-40 Company (WDFC) shares ended the week at $222.03, down 8% for the week.

The Dow started the week of 4/7 at 37,880 and closed at 40,213 on 4/11. The S&P 500 started the week at 4,954 and closed at 5,363. The NASDAQ started the week at 14,978 and closed at 16,724.

Treasury yields rose early in the week as investors evaluated the latest economic data, showing inflation improved from a month ago. Yields continued to climb later in the week following reports of an increase in unemployment claims, although the claims remained below levels that would signal a recession.  

On Thursday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the consumer price index (CPI), which measures the cost of dozens of everyday consumer goods, decreased 0.1% in March, lower than economists’ growth forecast of 0.1%. The year-over-year CPI rose to 2.4% in March, down from 2.8% in February and below economists’ projections of 2.6%.

“Today’s softer than expected CPI release feels backward looking given the large changes to trade policy seen in recent days,” said global Co-Head of Fixed Income and Liquidity Solutions at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Kay Haigh. “Going forward the Fed is likely to face a difficult trade-off as tariff driven price increases start to feed through to the inflation data and activity remains soft.”

The benchmark 10-year Treasury note yield opened the week of April 7 at 4.01% and traded as high as 4.52% on Wednesday. The 30-year Treasury bond opened the week at 4.42% and traded as high as 5.02% on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that initial claims for unemployment increased by 4,000 to 223,000 for the week ending April 5. The reported claims were below analysts’ expectations of 225,000. Continuing claims fell by 43,000 to 1.85 million.

"While the employment picture in the United States is still strong, there are some worrisome signs,” said a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, Alex Beene to Newsweek. “There are an increasingly higher number of Americans staying unemployed for longer, and the reasons for that stem from better paying full-time work being harder to find in some areas of the country and difficulty finding other opportunities that allow them to balance existing responsibilities, be it child care, health care issues or other personal aspects outside the workplace."

The 10-year Treasury note yield finished the week of April 7 at 4.49% while the 30-year Treasury note yield finished the week at 4.87%.

Freddie Mac released its latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey on Thursday, April 10. The survey showed that the 30-year mortgage rate maintained its downward trajectory and remained below 7%.

This week, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.62%, down from last week’s average of 6.64%. Last year at this time, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.88%.

The 15-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 5.82% this week, unchanged from last week’s average. During the same week last year, the 15-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.16%.

“The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage continues to trend down, remaining under 7% for the twelfth consecutive week,” said Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist, Sam Khater. “As purchase applications continue to climb, the spring homebuying season is shaping up to look more favorable than last year.”

Based on published national averages, the savings rate was 0.41% as of 3/17. The one-year CD averaged 1.78%.

Editor’s Note: The publicly available financial information is offered as a helpful and informative service to our friends. This article is not an endorsement of any company, product or service.