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Hollywood Bowl Group

BOWL.L
62
Leisure · Consumer Cyclical
Price
279.00 GBp
+4.00 (+1.45%)
Market Cap
£465.2M
Exchange
London Stock Exchange
Winston Score
62
Winston is curious
A decent business — some strong pillars, some weaker.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Mar 31, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Strong
Growth
Mixed
Cash Flow
Exceptional
Stability
Mixed
Valuation
Strong
Dividends
Good

Share count rising — dilution

+3.9% over 4y

The company has issued more shares over this period, which dilutes each existing shareholder’s stake.

Diluted shares outstanding: 165.5M (2021) → 171.8M (2025)

Winston Score History

The full picture

Hollywood Bowl Group runs tenpin bowling centres across the United Kingdom and Canada. It owns and operates the Hollywood Bowl and Puttstars brands, offering bowling, mini-golf, and arcade games to families and groups looking for affordable entertainment. It is the largest tenpin bowling operator in the UK, with around 70 sites.

The company makes money by charging customers per game of bowling, plus food, drinks, and arcade spending at each venue. Most revenue comes from the UK, with a smaller but growing presence in Canada under the Splitsville brand. Its main competitive advantages are its scale, well-invested venues, and long-term leases in retail parks where foot traffic is steady. The key risk is that consumers cut back on leisure spending during economic downturns, since bowling is a discretionary purchase that families can easily skip when budgets are tight.

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+9.5% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow revenue growth

EPS Growth

+0.0% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow EPS growth

R&D Spend

£0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (4%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

3.7%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

£26M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth context

Hollywood Bowl Group is growing revenue at 10% year-over-year. The Winston Score measures business quality today — these growth metrics show what could matter tomorrow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
51.0%
Healthy — 51.0% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
26.6%
Excellent — 26.6% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
38.6%
Exceptional — 38.6% return on capital

ROIC above 25%. Every dollar invested in the business earns more than 25 cents back per year.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+9.4%
Steady sales growth (+9.4% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
+21.4%
Earnings growing fast (+21.4% YoY)

Healthy double-digit earnings growth — what compounders look like.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
3/8 quarters
Earnings rarely grow — volatile business

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
221%
Turns 221% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
18.8%
Converts sales into free cash efficiently (18.8%)

FCF margin between 10% and 20%. Every $100 in sales becomes $10 to $20 in real cash.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
N/A
Data not available
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
4.15x
Adequate interest coverage (4.1x)

Interest coverage between 3 and 8. Profits cover interest several times over.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
13.8x
Attractive valuation — P/E 13.8

P/E in the normal range. Price is roughly $15 for every $1 of yearly profit.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+3.5
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (13.8 → 10.4)

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Dividends

Dividend
Dividend Yield
4.91%
Healthy income — 4.91% yield

Generous yield. Worth checking whether the payout is sustainable.

Dividend record
Dividend Growth
-13.9%
Dividend cut (-13.9% YoY) — warning sign

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