Lazard Asset Management LLC Sells 69,560 Shares of The Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHEF)

Lazard Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of The Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHEF) by 26.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 195,565 shares of the company’s stock after selling 69,560 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Chefs’ Warehouse were worth $9,645,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Chefs’ Warehouse by 303.4% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 446 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its position in Chefs’ Warehouse by 67.1% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $104,000 after buying an additional 843 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new position in Chefs’ Warehouse in the 4th quarter valued at $201,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Chefs’ Warehouse in the 4th quarter valued at $224,000. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC bought a new position in Chefs’ Warehouse in the 4th quarter valued at $231,000. 91.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Chefs’ Warehouse Stock Performance

CHEF stock opened at $63.53 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $54.56 and its 200-day moving average is $52.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The company has a market cap of $2.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.50 and a beta of 1.76. The Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc. has a twelve month low of $35.59 and a twelve month high of $66.51.

Chefs’ Warehouse (NASDAQ:CHEF) last posted its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $950.75 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $927.34 million. Chefs’ Warehouse had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 1.46%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.15 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that The Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc. will post 1.73 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CHEF has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Lake Street Capital increased their price objective on Chefs’ Warehouse from $60.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Chefs’ Warehouse from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Chefs’ Warehouse from $60.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Chefs’ Warehouse from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $68.00 price objective on shares of Chefs’ Warehouse in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $67.40.

About Chefs’ Warehouse

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.