Morgan Stanley initiates Chefs’ Warehouse stock with Overweight rating

Published 27/10/2025, 09:22
Morgan Stanley initiates Chefs’ Warehouse stock with Overweight rating

Investing.com - Morgan Stanley has initiated coverage on The Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc (NASDAQ:CHEF) with an Overweight rating and a $75.00 price target. The stock, currently trading at $58.54, has shown strong momentum with a 47.7% return over the past year. According to InvestingPro analysis, CHEF maintains a "GREAT" overall financial health score of 3.07 out of 5.

The investment bank views CHEF as a play on the upper end of the food-away-from-home market, with over 80% of the company’s customers being independent fine dining establishments, higher-end casual dining locations, hotels, and caterers. The company’s strong market position is reflected in its annual revenue of $3.95 billion and healthy gross profit margin of 24.2%.

Morgan Stanley notes that in the current bifurcated consumer economy, CHEF operates in an attractive market segment, though it acknowledges that a broader cyclical downturn represents the main risk to this investment thesis.

The firm points out that while the food distribution sector generally features low margins, fragmentation, and few barriers to entry, larger operators like CHEF benefit from a structural consolidation story and can gain market share through better service and investment capacity.

Though significantly smaller than major competitors Sysco, US Foods, and Performance Food Group, Morgan Stanley considers CHEF a leading specialty distributor in its market niche, with potential for margin and return growth over time.

In other recent news, The Chefs’ Warehouse reported strong financial results for the second quarter of 2025. The company experienced an 8.4% increase in net sales, reaching $1,035 million, and a notable rise in gross profit margins. Additionally, The Chefs’ Warehouse achieved a GAAP net income of $21.2 million, compared to $15.5 million in the same period last year. In analyst updates, Benchmark reiterated its Buy rating for The Chefs’ Warehouse stock, maintaining a price target of $79. These developments reflect positive momentum for the company. Benchmark’s analysis included data from Placer AI, focusing on traffic trends in the high-end dining sector. These recent developments provide investors with key insights into The Chefs’ Warehouse’s financial health and market positioning.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

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