The Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc. (CHEF) – What Are Researchers Saying About This Stock?

The Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHEF) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $120.17.

CHEF has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Chefs’ Warehouse from $120.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. BTIG Research lifted their price objective on Chefs’ Warehouse from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Benchmark boosted their price objective on Chefs’ Warehouse from $106.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Chefs’ Warehouse from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Chefs’ Warehouse from $123.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 11th.

Insider Transactions at Chefs’ Warehouse

In related news, General Counsel Alexandros Aldous sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.97, for a total transaction of $3,883,950.00. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 34,442 shares in the company, valued at $3,822,028.74. This represents a 50.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher Pappas sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.11, for a total value of $11,011,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 2,105,480 shares in the company, valued at $231,834,402.80. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 137,752 shares of company stock valued at $15,203,174 in the last three months. 11.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chefs’ Warehouse

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Chefs’ Warehouse during the 2nd quarter worth about $37,619,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in Chefs’ Warehouse in the second quarter worth $28,010,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Chefs’ Warehouse by 117,849.5% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 231,181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,744,000 after buying an additional 230,985 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Chefs’ Warehouse in the 2nd quarter valued at $22,116,000. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Chefs’ Warehouse in the 2nd quarter valued at $18,705,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.55% of the company’s stock.

Chefs’ Warehouse Price Performance

Shares of Chefs’ Warehouse stock opened at $103.77 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $109.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $87.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. Chefs’ Warehouse has a 12-month low of $56.46 and a 12-month high of $118.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.54 and a beta of 1.47.

Chefs’ Warehouse (NASDAQ:CHEF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.12 billion. Chefs’ Warehouse had a net margin of 2.27% and a return on equity of 17.48%. Chefs’ Warehouse’s quarterly revenue was up 11.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.50 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Chefs’ Warehouse will post 2.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Chefs’ Warehouse Company Profile

The Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc is a specialty food distributor serving chefs and other culinary professionals. It supplies restaurants, hotels, country clubs, caterers, culinary schools and specialty food retailers, with a focus on products used in upscale and independent food-service businesses.

Its offerings include specialty and artisan foods such as cheese, meat, seafood, produce, oils, vinegars, pastry ingredients and other center-of-the-plate and pantry products. The company also provides related supplies and services, including product sourcing and support for customers’ culinary needs.

The Chefs’ Warehouse serves customers across North America and select international markets.