Chefs’ Warehouse (NASDAQ:CHEF) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.06 EPS

Chefs’ Warehouse (NASDAQ:CHEF) announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.06, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. Chefs’ Warehouse had a return on equity of 14.11% and a net margin of 1.85%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.55 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Chefs’ Warehouse’s conference call:

• Strong results and 2026 guidance: Q4 net sales were $1.143B (up ~10.5%) with Q4 adjusted EBITDA of $80.3M and full?year 2025 revenue topping $4B; 2026 guidance calls for $4.35B–$4.45B of net sales and $276M–$286M of adjusted EBITDA.
• Operational leverage improving: Trailing?12 month gross profit dollars per route rose ~6.2% and adjusted EBITDA per employee rose ~13% versus FY2024, with adjusted OpEx as a % of gross profit improving ~176 bps, driven by facility consolidations, technology and sales execution.
• Stronger liquidity and flexible capital allocation: Total liquidity of $280.5M, net debt ~ $529.5M with net debt/adjusted EBITDA ~2.1x, a repriced term loan (spread reduced to 2.5% over SOFR), and an opportunistic approach to buybacks and M&A.
• Inflation and mix dynamics: Reported Q4 net inflation was 8.3% (specialty 3.4%, center?of?plate 16.1%), though company?adjusted inflation is ~4.3% after excluding certain attrition and cross?sell effects; overall gross margin declined ~8 bps with specialty margins up and center?of?plate margins down.
• One?time impairment pressured GAAP results: Other operating expenses rose by ~$10.5M in Q4, including an ~$8M impairment on a non?core customer relationship/tangible asset, which weighed on GAAP operating income and net income.

Chefs’ Warehouse Stock Down 5.2%

NASDAQ CHEF traded down $3.38 on Wednesday, reaching $61.98. The company had a trading volume of 108,623 shares, compared to its average volume of 422,343. Chefs’ Warehouse has a 1 year low of $45.00 and a 1 year high of $68.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.52 billion, a PE ratio of 36.47 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $62.89 and a 200-day moving average of $61.92.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chefs’ Warehouse

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Chefs’ Warehouse by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 9,536 shares of the company’s stock valued at $594,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Chefs’ Warehouse by 30.7% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 188 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Chefs’ Warehouse by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 4,341 shares of the company’s stock valued at $277,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in shares of Chefs’ Warehouse by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 33,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,116,000 after buying an additional 406 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in Chefs’ Warehouse by 515.3% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 523 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 438 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.55% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on CHEF shares. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $74.00 target price on shares of Chefs’ Warehouse in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Chefs’ Warehouse in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Chefs’ Warehouse from $80.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Chefs’ Warehouse in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Benchmark lifted their price objective on Chefs’ Warehouse from $79.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Chefs’ Warehouse currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.71.

About Chefs’ Warehouse

Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc is a specialty food distributor that supplies a broad range of high?end ingredients and culinary products to professional chefs, restaurants, hotels, and other foodservice operators. Headquartered in Maspeth, New York, the company sources its portfolio from local artisans, boutique producers and leading global suppliers. Its core offerings include fresh and frozen proteins, specialty cuts of meat and seafood, handcrafted cheeses and charcuterie, seasonal produce, value?added preparations, pantry staples and premium desserts and beverages.

The company operates a network of distribution centers strategically located in major metropolitan markets across North America.