Summit Creek Advisors LLC Invests $7.78 Million in The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. $CHEF

Key Points

• Summit Creek Advisors initiated a $7.78 million position in Chefs' Warehouse, purchasing 80,970 shares. The stock now represents about 2.6% of the firm’s portfolio, while institutional investors collectively own 91.55% of CHEF.
• Chefs' Warehouse reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $0.78 versus the $0.59 consensus and revenue up 12.9% year over year to $1.17 billion. Analysts remain broadly positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and several firms raising their price targets to $125.
• Risks include insider selling and elevated valuation: the CEO and general counsel sold a combined 135,000 shares, while CHEF trades at a P/E of about 51.6. Its consensus price target of $107.43 is slightly below the roughly $108 share price.

Summit Creek Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHEF - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 80,970 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,781,000. Chefs' Warehouse comprises approximately 2.6% of Summit Creek Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Summit Creek Advisors LLC owned about 0.20% of Chefs' Warehouse at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of CHEF. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Chefs' Warehouse by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,930,463 shares of the company's stock worth $182,656,000 after purchasing an additional 318,942 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Chefs' Warehouse by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,807,801 shares of the company's stock valued at $175,010,000 after purchasing an additional 58,154 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in Chefs' Warehouse by 2.7% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,129,189 shares of the company's stock worth $135,864,000 after buying an additional 55,850 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Chefs' Warehouse by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,428,184 shares of the company's stock worth $89,019,000 after purchasing an additional 44,323 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Chefs' Warehouse by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,383,974 shares of the company's stock valued at $86,263,000 after buying an additional 5,813 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.55% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Christopher Pappas sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,105,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $231,834,402.80. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Alexandros Aldous sold 35,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.97, for a total value of $3,883,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 34,442 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,822,028.74. The trade was a 50.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 137,752 shares of company stock valued at $15,203,174. 11.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

More Chefs' Warehouse News

Here are the key news stories impacting Chefs' Warehouse this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts maintain a generally favorable view, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy.” Benchmark, UBS, and TD Cowen raised their price targets to $125, while the broader analyst consensus includes one Strong Buy, five Buys, and two Holds. The Chefs' Warehouse Receives Consensus Rating of Moderate Buy
• Positive Sentiment: CHEF has continued to attract growth-oriented attention after reporting quarterly EPS of $0.78, well above the $0.59 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 12.9% year over year to $1.17 billion. Zacks has highlighted the stock as a top-ranked growth company. Chefs' Warehouse Is a Top-Ranked Growth Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership remains high at approximately 91.6%, although the newly reported purchases were relatively small. The stock has also rallied substantially above its 200-day moving average, indicating strong momentum but potentially limited near-term upside.
• Negative Sentiment: Several insiders sold shares on August 14. CEO Christopher Pappas sold 100,000 shares worth approximately $11.0 million, reducing his stake by 4.53%; General Counsel Alexandros Aldous sold 35,000 shares, cutting his position by 50.4%; and Christina Polychroni sold 2,752 shares, reducing her holdings by 11.1%. The cluster of insider selling is likely the main near-term concern for investors. Insider Selling at Chefs' Warehouse
• Negative Sentiment: At roughly $108 per share, CHEF trades at a demanding P/E of about 51.6, while the consensus price target of $107.43 is slightly below the current level. That valuation leaves the stock vulnerable to profit-taking following its strong 2026 performance.

Chefs' Warehouse Trading Down 2.1%

NASDAQ CHEF opened at $108.30 on Wednesday. The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. has a 12-month low of $53.20 and a 12-month high of $117.33. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $99.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $79.59. The company has a current ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. The stock has a market cap of $4.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.57 and a beta of 1.38.

Chefs' Warehouse (NASDAQ:CHEF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.19. Chefs' Warehouse had a net margin of 2.09% and a return on equity of 16.95%. The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.52 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group upped their price target on Chefs' Warehouse from $114.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen raised Chefs' Warehouse from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Zacks Research upgraded Chefs' Warehouse from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. BTIG Research upped their target price on Chefs' Warehouse from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Benchmark increased their price target on Chefs' Warehouse from $106.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $107.43.

Chefs' Warehouse Company Profile

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.

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