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A high debt to equity ratio generally means that a company has been aggressive in financing its growth with debt. This can result in volatile earnings as a result of the additional interest expense.
The historical rank and industry rank for The Chefs' Warehouse's Debt-to-Equity or its related term are showing as below:
FRA:2CF'
s Debt-to-Equity Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.9 Med: 1.61 Max: 2.17
Current: 1.61
During the past 13 years, the highest Debt-to-Equity Ratio of The Chefs' Warehouse was 2.17. The lowest was 0.90. And the median was 1.61.
FRA:2CF's Debt-to-Equity is ranked worse than 78.72% of 282
companies
in the Retail - Defensive industry
Industry Median: 0.55
vs FRA:2CF: 1.61
The Chefs' Warehouse (FRA:2CF) Debt-to-Equity Explanation
Because a company can increase its ROE % by having more financial leverage, it is important to watch the leverage ratio when investing in high ROE % companies.
The Chefs' Warehouse Debt-to-Equity Related Terms
The Chefs' Warehouse Debt-to-Equity Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for The Chefs' Warehouse's Debt-to-Equity 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-Equity Comparison
For the Food Distribution subindustry, The Chefs' Warehouse's Debt-to-Equity, along with its competitors' market caps and Debt-to-Equity 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-Equity vs Retail - Defensive Industry
For the Retail - Defensive industry and Consumer Defensive sector, The Chefs' Warehouse's Debt-to-Equity distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where The Chefs' Warehouse's Debt-to-Equity 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.
The Chefs' Warehouse (FRA:2CF) has a Debt-to-Equity of 1.61 as of Mar. 2026. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on The Chefs' Warehouse and its competitors. This is near median its historical median of 1.61. Over the past decade, The Chefs' Warehouse's Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.90 to 2.17. According to the industry distribution chart, The Chefs' Warehouse ranks #222 out of 282 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, placing it in the top 78.7%.
Is The Chefs' Warehouse's Debt-to-Equity too high?
The Chefs' Warehouse's current Debt-to-Equity of 1.61 is near median its 10-year median of 1.61. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.90 to a high of 2.17. The Retail - Defensive industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.55. The Chefs' Warehouse's value of 1.61 is 192.7% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, The Chefs' Warehouse ranks #222 out of 282 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. 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-Equity compare to UNFI and ANDE?
According to the Retail - Defensive industry distribution chart, The Chefs' Warehouse ranks #222 out of 282 companies for Debt-to-Equity. This places The Chefs' Warehouse in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.55. The Chefs' Warehouse's value of 1.61 is 192.7% above this benchmark. Historically, The Chefs' Warehouse's own Debt-to-Equity has ranged from 0.90 to 2.17 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 1.61 vs. the industry median of 0.55, 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-Equity for a Retail - Defensive company?
The median Debt-to-Equity among Retail - Defensive companies is 0.55, based on 282 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Debt-to-Equity significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Debt-to-Equity should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. The Chefs' Warehouse's current Debt-to-Equity of 1.61 is 192.7% 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-Equity mean?
A high Debt-to-Equity can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on The Chefs' Warehouse and its competitors. For the Retail - Defensive industry, the median Debt-to-Equity is 0.55 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. The Chefs' Warehouse's current Debt-to-Equity is 1.61, which is near median its own 10-year median of 1.61. 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-Equity of 1.61. The stock's GF Value™ is €48.04, compared to a current price of €87.50 — trading 82.1% above its estimated fair value. The current Debt-to-Equity is 1.61, which is near median its 10-year median of 1.61 and 192.7% above the Retail - Defensive industry median of 0.55. 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-Equity calculated?
Debt-to-Equity is calculated from a company's financial statements. For The Chefs' Warehouse (FRA:2CF), the current Debt-to-Equity is 1.61 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 €87.50 is trading 82.1% above its estimated GF Value™ of €48.04.
Key valuation signals for FRA:2CF:
Debt-to-Equity: 1.61 (near median its 10-year median of 1.61)
GF Value™: €48.04 vs. price of €87.50 (82.1% above fair value)
Industry Position: 192.7% above the Retail - Defensive median (#222 of 282)
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
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