The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. Just Beat Analyst Forecasts, And Analysts Have Been Updating Their Predictions

Simply Wall St.
02 Nov 2024

The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHEF) came out with its quarterly results last week, and we wanted to see how the business is performing and what industry forecasters think of the company following this report. The result was positive overall - although revenues of US$931m were in line with what the analysts predicted, Chefs' Warehouse surprised by delivering a statutory profit of US$0.34 per share, modestly greater than expected. The analysts typically update their forecasts at each earnings report, and we can judge from their estimates whether their view of the company has changed or if there are any new concerns to be aware of. So we gathered the latest post-earnings forecasts to see what estimates suggest is in store for next year.

View our latest analysis for Chefs' Warehouse

NasdaqGS:CHEF Earnings and Revenue Growth November 2nd 2024

Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus from Chefs' Warehouse's seven analysts is for revenues of US$4.02b in 2025. This would reflect a notable 8.3% increase on its revenue over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to soar 39% to US$1.67. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$4.03b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$1.66 in 2025. So it's pretty clear that, although the analysts have updated their estimates, there's been no major change in expectations for the business following the latest results.

It will come as no surprise then, to learn that the consensus price target is largely unchanged at US$50.25. There's another way to think about price targets though, and that's to look at the range of price targets put forward by analysts, because a wide range of estimates could suggest a diverse view on possible outcomes for the business. There are some variant perceptions on Chefs' Warehouse, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$55.00 and the most bearish at US$41.00 per share. This is a very narrow spread of estimates, implying either that Chefs' Warehouse is an easy company to value, or - more likely - the analysts are relying heavily on some key assumptions.

These estimates are interesting, but it can be useful to paint some more broad strokes when seeing how forecasts compare, both to the Chefs' Warehouse's past performance and to peers in the same industry. We would highlight that Chefs' Warehouse's revenue growth is expected to slow, with the forecast 6.6% annualised growth rate until the end of 2025 being well below the historical 25% p.a. growth over the last five years. By way of comparison, the other companies in this industry with analyst coverage are forecast to grow their revenue at 4.7% annually. So it's pretty clear that, while Chefs' Warehouse's revenue growth is expected to slow, it's still expected to grow faster than the industry itself.

The Bottom Line

The most obvious conclusion is that there's been no major change in the business' prospects in recent times, with the analysts holding their earnings forecasts steady, in line with previous estimates. Fortunately, they also reconfirmed their revenue numbers, suggesting that it's tracking in line with expectations. Additionally, our data suggests that revenue is expected to grow faster than the wider industry. The consensus price target held steady at US$50.25, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on their price targets.

Following on from that line of thought, we think that the long-term prospects of the business are much more relevant than next year's earnings. We have forecasts for Chefs' Warehouse going out to 2026, and you can see them free on our platform here.

Even so, be aware that Chefs' Warehouse is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis , you should know about...

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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