Assay

Financial-condition grades for SEC filers

Company Report · as of Oct 9, 2026


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Chefs' Warehouse, Inc.CHEF · shops
GradeElkBsecond fifth of 258 graded peers; percentile 30.7, sampling error 2.9 points; lower is stronger
Rank80 of 258
ProfitabilityCpercentile 50.2
SolvencyCpercentile 43.3
Growth and financingBpercentile 33.6
Reliability0.91 AUCfailure model, filers with $591M to $2.67B assets; 95% interval 0.88 to 0.94; 160 events, 2020 to 2025
Peer failure rate1.01% a yearItem 1.03 bankruptcies, same asset band, 2012 to 2025
Size band$591M to $2.67B assetstotal assets $2.0B[1]
Standard universeinsiderevenue above $1M and assets above $10M[1-2]
Warningsnone activenot computable: distress
Inputs computable11 of 14
Graded fromfilings received through Feb 24, 2026227 days before the rescan; every figure keyed to the SEC receipt date
Last close$111.582026-10-08; market equity $4.5B; iex feed
Price used in gradeNone
Share price, twelve months to the rescansplit-adjusted close; a lollipop at every rescan carries the letter held then; baseline ticks are SEC receipt dates of the inputs; ranges and dragging scroll the full history
$100NovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctA/BB$111.40
ABCDE20132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026

Percentile at every rescan on file, Jan 21, 2012 to Oct 9, 2026; stronger toward the top. Hover for the date.

Open this report as it stood on

Letter setLetterPercentileBand
Jan 21, 2012nonen/a
Apr 21, 2012nonen/aQ2
Mar 21, 2013B24.8Q3
Apr 21, 2014B/C38.8Q3
Nov 21, 2014B34.8Q3
Mar 21, 2015B/C37.1Q3
Jan 21, 2016C44.4Q3
Mar 21, 2016B/C40.8Q3
Mar 21, 2017B34.6Q4
Apr 21, 2017B/C36.9Q4
Jun 21, 2017B36.5Q4
Sep 21, 2017B/C36.9Q4
Nov 21, 2017B35.0Q4
Feb 21, 2018B/C36.9Q4
Sep 21, 2018B36.5Q4
Dec 21, 2018B/C38.0Q4
Nov 21, 2019B36.2Q4
Mar 21, 2021D65.2Q4
Apr 21, 2021C/D62.0Q4
Feb 21, 2022D63.7Q4
Mar 21, 2022D/E80.1Q4
Apr 21, 2022E85.8Q4
Mar 21, 2023C50.7Q4
Mar 21, 2024D75.4Q4
Mar 21, 2025A/B22.1Q4
Mar 21, 2026B29.2Q4

Each date opens the report as it stood on that rescan.

Business, in the company's words. Opening of Item 1 of the 10-K received Feb 24, 2026; the document on sec.gov.

We are a premier distributor of specialty food and center-of-the-plate products in the United States, the Middle East, and Canada. We are focused on serving the specific needs of chefs who own and/or operate some of the leading menu-driven independent restaurants, fine dining establishments, country clubs, hotels, caterers, culinary schools, bakeries, patisseries, chocolateries, cruise lines, casinos and specialty food stores in the United States, the Middle East, and Canada (collectively, our “Core Customers”).

The Fourteen Inputs [top]

Lower percentile is stronger. Source numbers open the SEC filing; a range that spans filings opens the sources table.

InputPercentile, 0 to 100ValueSourcePeer medianPercentilePeersPeriod end
Profitability, sleeve percentile 50.2
Gross profitability49.5%[1,3]42.6%39.02422025-12-26
Return on invested capital8.8%[4-12]10.9%65.1842025-12-26
Accruals ratio(2.9%)[1,13-15](4.9%)73.82872025-12-26
Gross margin stability, five years0.7 pts[2-3,16-23]1.2 pts22.92192025-12-26
Solvency, sleeve percentile 43.3
Twelve-month failure probabilitynot computable0.04%
latest liabilities, cash plus short-term investments, book equity, and shares are required
Altman Z double-prime2.86[1,4,8,24-27]1.9233.32082025-12-26
Net debt to EBITDA3.02x[4,7,9,28]1.84x69.71002025-12-26
Interest coveragenot computable2.26x
latest aligned inputs end 2023-12-29; latest annual assets end 2025-12-26
Current ratio2.05x[24-25]1.37x26.92952025-12-26
Growth and financing, sleeve percentile 33.6
Revenue growth, three-year compound16.7%[2,17,19,21]1.5%5.62692025-12-26
Free cash flow growth, three-year compoundnot computable5.6%
current FCF must be positive and base FCF must exceed $100,000
Reinvestment rate41.0%[4-6,24-25,28-31]7.3%32.51522025-12-26
Asset growth, three years10.3%[1,15,32-33]3.4%18.52722025-12-26
Net share issuance, one year1.1%[34-35](0.6%)78.12112026-02-09

Gross profitability. Revenue less cost of goods sold, over total assets.

Accruals ratio. Net income less operating cash flow, over average assets; lower is stronger.

Gross margin stability, five years. Standard deviation of gross margin; lower is stronger.

Twelve-month failure probability. CHS model; lower is stronger.

Net debt to EBITDA. Lower is stronger.

Net share issuance, one year. Split-adjusted; lower is stronger.

Sleeves are equal-weighted; within a sleeve each computable input carries equal weight. Composite -0.167; sampling error 2.9 percentile points on 258 peers.

Among 258 Peers [top]

ABCDECOST, Costco Wholesale Corp.; A, percentile 4.7; market equity $420.1B; warnings: fortress balance sheetCOSTAMZN, Amazon COM Inc.; A/B, percentile 20.2; market equity $2.7T; warnings: fortress balance sheetAMZNHD, Home Depot, Inc.; B, percentile 32.3; market equity $294.8BHDTJX, TJX Companies Inc.; C, percentile 43.6; market equity $152.6BTJXWMT, Walmart Inc.; C, percentile 52.9; market equity $877.2BWMTMCD, Mcdonalds Corp.; D, percentile 63.4; market equity $167.6BMCDCHEF 30.7strongerweaker

Composite score of every graded peer, smoothed. Vertical rules are the letter band edges at the 20th, 40th, 60th and 80th percentiles. Small dots are the six largest peers by market equity.

RankCompanyPercentileLetterWarnings
75Performance Food Group Co. (PFGC)

Performance Food Group Co. (PFGC)

Bsecond fifth; percentile 28.8

NYSE · Wholesale-Groceries, General Line

market equity $14.9B; last close $94.66

No active warnings; 11 of 14 inputs

28.8B
76Williams Sonoma Inc. (WSM)

Williams Sonoma Inc. (WSM)

Bsecond fifth; percentile 29.2

NYSE · Retail-Home Furniture, Furnishings & Equipment Stores

market equity $28.1B; last close $238.79

Warnings: fortress balance sheet; 10 of 14 inputs

29.2Bfortress balance sheet
77Macy's, Inc. (M)

Macy's, Inc. (M)

Bsecond fifth; percentile 29.6

NYSE · Retail-Department Stores

market equity $6.0B; last close $22.79

No active warnings; 12 of 14 inputs

29.6B
78Ingles Markets Inc. (IMKTA)

Ingles Markets Inc. (IMKTA)

Bsecond fifth; percentile 30.0

Nasdaq · Retail-Grocery Stores

last close $85.52

Warnings: late filer; 10 of 14 inputs

30.0Blate filer
79GAP Inc. (GAP)

GAP Inc. (GAP)

Bsecond fifth; percentile 30.4

NYSE · Retail-Family Clothing Stores

market equity $8.2B; last close $23.37

Warnings: fortress balance sheet; 9 of 14 inputs

30.4Bfortress balance sheet
80Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. (CHEF)

Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. (CHEF)

Bsecond fifth; percentile 30.7

Nasdaq · Wholesale-Groceries, General Line

market equity $4.5B; last close $111.58

No active warnings; 11 of 14 inputs

30.7B
81Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NGVC)

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NGVC)

Bsecond fifth; percentile 31.1

NYSE · Retail-Grocery Stores

market equity $693.2M; last close $30.20

No active warnings; 11 of 14 inputs

31.1B
82Biglari Holdings Inc. (BH)

Biglari Holdings Inc. (BH)

Bsecond fifth; percentile 31.7

NYSE · Retail-Eating Places

last close $366.73

No active warnings; 7 of 14 inputs

31.7B
83Biglari Holdings Inc. (BH-A)

Biglari Holdings Inc. (BH-A)

Bsecond fifth; percentile 31.7

NYSE · Retail-Eating Places

last close $1,817.19

No active warnings; 7 of 14 inputs

31.7B
84Home Depot, Inc. (HD)

Home Depot, Inc. (HD)

Bsecond fifth; percentile 32.3

NYSE · Retail-Lumber & Other Building Materials Dealers

market equity $294.8B; last close $295.47

No active warnings; 12 of 14 inputs

32.3B
85Coupang, Inc. (CPNG)

Coupang, Inc. (CPNG)

Bsecond fifth; percentile 32.7

NYSE · Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses

last close $15.41

Warnings: fortress balance sheet; 9 of 14 inputs

32.7Bfortress balance sheet
Peer policyLetterPercentilePeers
all graded filers, equal sleevesB23.82204
sector peers, equal sleeves (the grade)B30.7258
same exchange, equal sleevesB25.11219
sector peers, equal inputsB29.6258

Each letter is one fifth of the 258 graded peers, about 51 companies. A boundary letter (A/B, B/C, C/D, D/E) marks a percentile within one sampling error of a band edge.

What the Price Implies [top]

Market measures at the 2026-10-08 close. None enters the grade. Percentile among graded peers with the same measure.

MeasureValuePeer medianPercentileReading
Twelve-month price change, skipping the latest month92.8%(0.1%)96hotter than 96 of 100 peers
Distance from 52-week high(4.3%)(24.1%)94closer to its high than 94 of 100 peers
EBIT to enterprise value2.8%5.3%26pricier than 74 of 100 peers
Free cash flow yield1.9%4.2%31pricier than 69 of 100 peers
Book value to price0.130.3626pricier than 74 of 100 peers
Sales to price0.911.7532pricier than 68 of 100 peers
Composite equity issuance, five years9.0%(16.7%)87more equity-funded than 87 of 100 peers
Relative strength against the sector, log excess return0.680.0296ahead of 96 of 100 peers

Inputs: market equity $4.5B; EBIT $145.1M; free cash flow $87.8M; book equity $608.6M; sales $4.1B; debt $720.9M; cash $122.7M[36].

Diagnostics [top]

Diagnostics do not feed the grade.

Piotroski F-score: 8 of 9, period end 2025-12-26
Return on assets above zero3.9%✓ pass[13,15]
Operating cash flow above zero$129.2M✓ pass[14]
Return on assets improved0.6 pts✓ pass[13,15,32,37]
Operating cash flow exceeds net income$56.9M✓ pass[13-14]
Long-term leverage fell(1.6 pts)✓ pass[1,15,32,38-39]
Current ratio improved0.8 pts✓ pass[24-25,30-31]
No new shares issued1.1%✗ fail[34-35]
Gross margin improved0.1 pts✓ pass[2-3,16-17]
Asset turnover improved0.8 pts✓ pass[2,15,17,32]
Cash, filings, liquidity
Cash and equivalents$122.7M[40]
Operating cash flow, four quarters$117.9M[14,40-44]
Months of runwaynot finite
trailing operating cash flow is nonnegative, so runway is not finite
Late filings, two years0
NT 10-K or NT 10-Q
Days since last periodic filing72
10-Q received Jul 29, 2026
Median daily dollar volume$63.2M
63 sessions
Days since newest grade input227

Downloads [top]

Sources [top]

Every citation on this page. Filing opens the SEC index page for that submission; viewer opens the SEC interactive data for the same filing; series opens the SEC XBRL API record for that tag and company.

#ConceptXBRL tagValuePeriod endReceivedFormLinks
1assetsus-gaap:Assets$2.0B2025-12-262026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
2revenueus-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax$4.1B2025-12-262026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
3gross profitus-gaap:GrossProfit$1.0B2025-12-262026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
4operating incomeus-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss$145.1M2025-12-262026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
5pretax incomeus-gaap:IncomeLossFromContinuingOperationsBeforeIncomeTaxesExtraordinaryItemsNoncontrollingInterest$103.5M2025-12-262026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
6income taxus-gaap:IncomeTaxExpenseBenefit$31.2M2025-12-262026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
7total debtus-gaap:LongTermDebtAndCapitalLeaseObligations$720.3M2025-12-262026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
8book equityus-gaap:StockholdersEquity$604.3M2025-12-262026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
9cashus-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue$121.0M2025-12-262026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
10total debtus-gaap:LongTermDebtAndCapitalLeaseObligations$688.7M2024-12-272026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
11book equityus-gaap:StockholdersEquity$537.6M2024-12-272026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
12cashus-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue$114.7M2024-12-272026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
13net incomeus-gaap:NetIncomeLoss$72.4M2025-12-262026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
14operating cash flowus-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities$129.2M2025-12-262026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
15assetsus-gaap:Assets$1.9B2024-12-272026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
16gross profitus-gaap:GrossProfit$914.1M2024-12-272026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
17revenueus-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax$3.8B2024-12-272026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
18gross profitus-gaap:GrossProfit$814.5M2023-12-292026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
19revenueus-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax$3.4B2023-12-292026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
20gross profitus-gaap:GrossProfit$618.6M2022-12-302025-02-2510-Kfiling · viewer · series
21revenueus-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax$2.6B2022-12-302025-02-2510-Kfiling · viewer · series
22gross profitus-gaap:GrossProfit$390.5M2021-12-242024-02-2710-Kfiling · viewer · series
23revenueus-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax$1.7B2021-12-242024-02-2710-Kfiling · viewer · series
24current assetsus-gaap:AssetsCurrent$969.9M2025-12-262026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
25current liabilitiesus-gaap:LiabilitiesCurrent$473.5M2025-12-262026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
26retained earningsus-gaap:RetainedEarningsAccumulatedDeficit$201.6M2025-12-262026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
27liabilitiesus-gaap:Liabilities$1.4B2025-12-262026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
28depreciation amortizationus-gaap:DepreciationDepletionAndAmortization$53.7M2025-12-262026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
29capital expenditureus-gaap:PaymentsToAcquireProductiveAssets$41.4M2025-12-262026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
30current assetsus-gaap:AssetsCurrent$868.0M2024-12-272026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
31current liabilitiesus-gaap:LiabilitiesCurrent$425.4M2024-12-272026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
32assetsus-gaap:Assets$1.7B2023-12-292025-02-2510-Kfiling · viewer · series
33assetsus-gaap:Assets$1.5B2022-12-302024-02-2710-Kfiling · viewer · series
34shares outstandingdei:EntityCommonStockSharesOutstanding40,694,2332026-02-092026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
35shares outstandingdei:EntityCommonStockSharesOutstanding40,267,9482025-02-102025-02-2510-Kfiling · viewer · series
36shares outstandingdei:EntityCommonStockSharesOutstanding40,777,6292026-04-242026-04-2910-Qfiling · viewer · series
37net incomeus-gaap:NetIncomeLoss$55.5M2024-12-272026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
38long term debtus-gaap:LongTermDebtNoncurrent$720.3M2025-12-262026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
39long term debtus-gaap:LongTermDebtNoncurrent$688.7M2024-12-272026-02-2410-Kfiling · viewer · series
40cashus-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue$122.7M2026-03-272026-04-2910-Qfiling · viewer · series
41operating cash flowus-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities$38.3M2026-03-272026-04-2910-Qfiling · viewer · series
42operating cash flowus-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities$55.4M2025-09-262025-10-2910-Qfiling · viewer · series
43operating cash flowus-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities$64.1M2025-06-272025-07-3010-Qfiling · viewer · series
44operating cash flowus-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities$49.6M2025-03-282026-04-2910-Qfiling · viewer · series

Limitations [top]

Grade boundary. Percentile 30.7 is 9.3 points from the nearest band edge; sampling error is 2.9 points.

Peer group. Sector assignment from four-digit SIC codes, hand-tuned and published. The grade under three alternative peer policies is tabled above.

Size. Within a sector the letter tracks size. Among graded filers in the smallest asset band, 72% grade E and 0% grade A; in the largest, 13% grade E and 21% grade A. Universe as of Oct 9, 2026.

Failure model. filings 2012-01-01 to 2019-12-31 fit, filings 2020-01-01 to 2025-12-31 test; status post hoc pending confirmation. pre-registered on 2026 filings once their 12-month outcome windows close; supported if the paired per-quintile gain over the pooled model has a lower bound above 0.05.

Input validity. Revenue or total assets at or below $100,000 sets the degenerate-inputs flag. An input whose denominator is at or below $100,000 is left not computable rather than ranked.

Returns. No input on this page has a post-2015 confidence interval on returns that excludes zero. The grade ranks reported financial condition and is not a return forecast.