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A high Debt-to-EBITDA ratio generally means that a company may spend more time to paying off its debt. According to Joel Tillinghast's BIG MONEY THINKS SMALL: Biases, Blind Spots, and Smarter Investing, a ratio of Debt-to-EBITDA exceeding four is usually considered scary unless tangible assets cover the debt.
The historical rank and industry rank for The Chefs' Warehouse's Debt-to-EBITDA or its related term are showing as below:
FRA:2CF'
s Debt-to-EBITDA Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -7.65 Med: 5.1 Max: 11.85
Current: 4.15
During the past 13 years, the highest Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio of The Chefs' Warehouse was 11.85. The lowest was -7.65. And the median was 5.10.
FRA:2CF's Debt-to-EBITDA is ranked worse than 75% of 256
companies
in the Retail - Defensive industry
Industry Median: 2.215
vs FRA:2CF: 4.15
The Chefs' Warehouse (FRA:2CF) Debt-to-EBITDA Explanation
A high Debt-to-EBITDA ratio generally means that a company may spend more time to paying off its debt.
According to Joel Tillinghast's BIG MONEY THINKS SMALL: Biases, Blind Spots, and Smarter Investing, a ratio of Debt-to-EBITDA exceeding four is usually considered scary unless tangible assets cover the debt.
The Chefs' Warehouse Debt-to-EBITDA Related Terms
The Chefs' Warehouse Debt-to-EBITDA Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for The Chefs' Warehouse's Debt-to-EBITDA can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
FRA:2CF vs UNFI, ANDE, AVO: Debt-to-EBITDA Comparison
For the Food Distribution subindustry, The Chefs' Warehouse's Debt-to-EBITDA, along with its competitors' market caps and Debt-to-EBITDA data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
The Chefs' Warehouse Debt-to-EBITDA vs Retail - Defensive Industry
For the Retail - Defensive industry and Consumer Defensive sector, The Chefs' Warehouse's Debt-to-EBITDA distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where The Chefs' Warehouse's Debt-to-EBITDA falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
In the calculation of annual Debt-to-EBITDA, the EBITDA of the last fiscal year is used. In calculating the annualized quarterly data,
the EBITDA data used here is four times the quarterly (Mar. 2026) EBITDA data.
The Chefs' Warehouse (FRA:2CF) has a Debt-to-EBITDA of 4.57 as of Mar. 2026. Debt-to-EBITDA ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. View historical data on The Chefs' Warehouse. This is 10% below median its historical median of 5.10. According to the industry distribution chart, The Chefs' Warehouse ranks #192 out of 256 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, placing it in the top 75%.
Is The Chefs' Warehouse's Debt-to-EBITDA too high?
The Chefs' Warehouse's current Debt-to-EBITDA of 4.57 is 10% below median its 10-year median of 5.10. The Retail - Defensive industry median Debt-to-EBITDA is 2.22. The Chefs' Warehouse's value of 4.57 is 106.3% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, The Chefs' Warehouse ranks #192 out of 256 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, which is below the industry midpoint. Overall, The Chefs' Warehouse has a GF Score™ of 72/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does The Chefs' Warehouse's Debt-to-EBITDA compare to UNFI and ANDE?
According to the Retail - Defensive industry distribution chart, The Chefs' Warehouse ranks #192 out of 256 companies for Debt-to-EBITDA. This places The Chefs' Warehouse in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-EBITDA is 2.22. The Chefs' Warehouse's value of 4.57 is 106.3% above this benchmark. While the company's 10-year median is 5.10 vs. the industry median of 2.22, The Chefs' Warehouse has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Debt-to-EBITDA for a Retail - Defensive company?
The median Debt-to-EBITDA among Retail - Defensive companies is 2.22, based on 256 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Debt-to-EBITDA significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Debt-to-EBITDA should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. The Chefs' Warehouse's current Debt-to-EBITDA of 4.57 is 106.3% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Debt-to-EBITDA mean?
A high Debt-to-EBITDA can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Debt-to-EBITDA ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. View historical data on The Chefs' Warehouse. For the Retail - Defensive industry, the median Debt-to-EBITDA is 2.22 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. The Chefs' Warehouse's current Debt-to-EBITDA is 4.57, which is 10% below median its own 10-year median of 5.10. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is The Chefs' Warehouse stock overvalued right now?
The Chefs' Warehouse (FRA:2CF) has a current Debt-to-EBITDA of 4.57. The stock's GF Value™ is €44.75, compared to a current price of €82.00 — trading 83.2% above its estimated fair value. The current Debt-to-EBITDA is 4.57, which is 10% below median its 10-year median of 5.10 and 106.3% above the Retail - Defensive industry median of 2.22. The Chefs' Warehouse's overall GF Score™ is 72/100 with 7 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Debt-to-EBITDA calculated?
Debt-to-EBITDA is calculated from a company's financial statements. For The Chefs' Warehouse (FRA:2CF), the current Debt-to-EBITDA is 4.57 as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is The Chefs' Warehouse (FRA:2CF) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, The Chefs' Warehouse stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of €82.00 is trading 83.2% above its estimated GF Value™ of €44.75.
Key valuation signals for FRA:2CF:
Debt-to-EBITDA: 4.57 (10% below median its 10-year median of 5.10)
GF Value™: €44.75 vs. price of €82.00 (83.2% above fair value)
Industry Position: 106.3% above the Retail - Defensive median (#192 of 256)
No single metric tells the full story. See the FRA:2CF stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
The Chefs' Warehouse Inc is a specialty food distributor in metropolitan areas across the United States, the Middle East and Canada. The company's product portfolio is comprised of imported and local specialty food products such as cheese, cooking oils, chocolates, dried food, baking products, meats, and other food products. It operates via one reporting segment called Food Product Distribution. Operations are concentrated on the east, midwest, and west coasts of the U.S. The company provides service to restaurants, clubs, hotels, caterers, schools, bakeries, casinos, and specialty food stores.
72GF Score
Get the complete analysis for FRA:2CF
Debt-to-EBITDA is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.
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