Lazard Asset Management LLC Decreases Holdings in The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHEF)

Lazard Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHEF - Free Report) by 26.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 195,565 shares of the company's stock after selling 69,560 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned about 0.49% of Chefs' Warehouse worth $9,645,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Chefs' Warehouse by 303.4% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 593 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Chefs' Warehouse by 67.1% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,100 shares of the company's stock worth $104,000 after buying an additional 843 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Chefs' Warehouse in the fourth quarter worth about $201,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Chefs' Warehouse in the fourth quarter worth about $224,000. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Chefs' Warehouse in the fourth quarter worth about $231,000. Institutional investors own 91.55% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CHEF. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $68.00 price target on shares of Chefs' Warehouse in a report on Monday, March 17th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Chefs' Warehouse from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Lake Street Capital increased their price target on shares of Chefs' Warehouse from $60.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Chefs' Warehouse from $60.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $67.40.

Chefs' Warehouse Price Performance

CHEF traded up $0.11 on Tuesday, reaching $64.91. The company had a trading volume of 45,901 shares, compared to its average volume of 400,102. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $52.80. The company has a market cap of $2.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.58 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 2.04. The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. has a 52-week low of $35.59 and a 52-week high of $66.51.

Chefs' Warehouse (NASDAQ:CHEF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $950.75 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $927.34 million. Chefs' Warehouse had a net margin of 1.46% and a return on equity of 12.90%. Chefs' Warehouse's quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.15 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. will post 1.73 EPS for the current year.

Chefs' Warehouse Company Profile

The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes specialty food and center-of-the-plate products in the United States, the Middle East, and Canada. The company's product portfolio includes specialty food products, such as artisan charcuterie, specialty cheeses, unique oils and vinegars, truffles, caviar, chocolate, and pastry products; and center-of-the-plate products consisting of custom cut beef, seafood, and hormone-free poultry, as well as broadline food products comprising cooking oils, butter, eggs, milk, and flour.