The Chefs' WarehouseCHEF -1.39%78 Piotroski F-Score is 8 as of Jun. 26, 2026, which is 33% above its 10-year median of 6.00. GuruFocus rates CHEF with a GF Score™ of 78/100 and a GF Value™ of $53.02 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 7 warning signs investors should review. Among 298 Retail - Defensive companies, The Chefs' Warehouse ranks better than 98.32% on this metric.
Good Sign:
Piotroski F-Score is 8, indicates a very healthy situation.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
The Chefs' Warehouse has an F-score of 8. It is a good or high score, which usually indicates a very healthy situation.
The historical rank and industry rank for The Chefs' Warehouse's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:
CHEF'
s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 2 Med: 6 Max: 9
Current: 8
During the past 13 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of The Chefs' Warehouse was 9. The lowest was 2. And the median was 6.
The Chefs' Warehouse (NAS:CHEF) Piotroski F-Score Explanation
The developer of the system is Joseph D. Piotroski is relatively unknown accounting professor who shuns publicity and rarely gives interviews.
He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in accounting in 1989, received an M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1994. Five years later, in 1999, after earning a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan, he became an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago.
He wanted to see if he can develop a system (using a simple nine-point scoring system) that can increase the returns of a strategy of investing in low price to book (referred to in the paper as high book to market) value companies.
What he found was something that exceeded his most optimistic expectations.
Buying only those companies that scored highest (8 or 9) on his nine-point scale, or F-Score as he called it, over the 20 year period from 1976 to 1996 led to an average out-performance over the market of 13.4%.
Even more impressive were the results of a strategy of investing in the highest F-Score companies (8 or 9) and shorting companies with the lowest F-Score (0 or 1).
Over the same period from 1976 to 1996 (20 years) this strategy led to an average yearly return of 23%, substantially outperforming the average S&P 500 index return of 15.83% over the same period.
The Chefs' Warehouse Piotroski F-Score Related Terms
The Chefs' Warehouse Piotroski F-Score Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for The Chefs' Warehouse's Piotroski F-Score 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.
CHEF vs UNFI, ANDE, AVO: Piotroski F-Score Comparison
For the Food Distribution subindustry, The Chefs' Warehouse's Piotroski F-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Piotroski F-Score 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 Piotroski F-Score vs Retail - Defensive Industry
For the Retail - Defensive industry and Consumer Defensive sector, The Chefs' Warehouse's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where The Chefs' Warehouse's Piotroski F-Score 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.
*Note: If the latest quarterly/semi-annual/annual total assets data is 0, then we will use previous quarterly/semi-annual/annual data for all the items in the balance sheet.
Profitability
Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)
Net income before extraordinary items for the year divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
The Chefs' Warehouse's current Net Income (TTM) was 79.
==> Positive ==> Score 1.
Question 2. Cash Flow Return on Assets (CFROA)
Net cash flow from operating activities (operating cash flow) divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
The Chefs' Warehouse's return on assets of this year was 0.04320735. The Chefs' Warehouse's return on assets of last year was 0.03821659.
==> This year is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)
Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)
The Chefs' Warehouse's gearing of this year was 0.4771102. The Chefs' Warehouse's gearing of last year was 0.49099901.
==> This year is lower or equal to last year. ==> Score 1.
Question 6. Change in Working Capital (Liquidity)
Compare this year's current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) to last year's current ratio.
Score 1 if this year's current ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
The Chefs' Warehouse's current ratio of this year was 2.17639413. The Chefs' Warehouse's current ratio of last year was 2.05032657.
==> This year's current ratio is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 7. Change in Shares in Issue
Compare the number of shares in issue this year, to the number in issue last year.
Score 0 if there is larger number of shares in issue this year, 1 otherwise.
The Chefs' Warehouse's number of shares in issue this year was 46.079. The Chefs' Warehouse's number of shares in issue last year was 46.091.
==> There is smaller number of shares in issue this year, or the same. ==> Score 1.
Efficiency
Question 8. Change in Gross Margin
Compare this year's gross margin (Gross Profit divided by sales) to last year's.
Score 1 if this year's gross margin is higher, 0 if it's lower.
The Chefs' Warehouse's gross margin of this year was 0.24319208. The Chefs' Warehouse's gross margin of last year was 0.24046318.
==> This year's gross margin is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 9. Change in asset turnover
Compare this year's asset turnover (total sales for the year divided by total assets at the beginning of the year) to last year's asset turnover ratio.
Score 1 if this year's asset turnover ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
The Chefs' Warehouse's asset turnover of this year was 2.31581343. The Chefs' Warehouse's asset turnover of last year was 2.31712898.
==> Last year's asset turnover is higher ==> Score 0.
Evaluation
Piotroski F-Score
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Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
The Chefs' Warehouse has an F-score of 8. It is a good or high score, which usually indicates a very healthy situation.
The Chefs' Warehouse (CHEF) has a Piotroski F-Score of 8 as of Jun. 26, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on The Chefs' Warehouse and its competitors. This is 33% above median its historical median of 6.00. Over the past decade, The Chefs' Warehouse's Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 2.00 to 9.00. According to the industry distribution chart, The Chefs' Warehouse ranks #5 out of 298 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, placing it in the top 1.7%.
Is The Chefs' Warehouse's Piotroski F-Score too high?
The Chefs' Warehouse's current Piotroski F-Score of 8 is 33% above median its 10-year median of 6.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 2.00 to a high of 9.00. The Retail - Defensive industry median Piotroski F-Score is 6.00. The Chefs' Warehouse's value of 8 is 33.3% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, The Chefs' Warehouse ranks #5 out of 298 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers. Overall, The Chefs' Warehouse has a GF Score™ of 78/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does The Chefs' Warehouse's Piotroski F-Score compare to UNFI and ANDE?
According to the Retail - Defensive industry distribution chart, The Chefs' Warehouse ranks #5 out of 298 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This places The Chefs' Warehouse in the top 2% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 6.00. The Chefs' Warehouse's value of 8 is 33.3% above this benchmark. Historically, The Chefs' Warehouse's own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 2.00 to 9.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 6.00 vs. the industry median of 6.00, 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 Piotroski F-Score for a Retail - Defensive company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Retail - Defensive companies is 6.00, based on 298 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Piotroski F-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Piotroski F-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. The Chefs' Warehouse's current Piotroski F-Score of 8 is 33.3% 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 Piotroski F-Score mean?
A high Piotroski F-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on The Chefs' Warehouse and its competitors. For the Retail - Defensive industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 6.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. The Chefs' Warehouse's current Piotroski F-Score is 8, which is 33% above median its own 10-year median of 6.00. 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?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, The Chefs' Warehouse (CHEF) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $53.02, compared to a current price of $94.35 — trading 78% above its estimated fair value. The current Piotroski F-Score is 8, which is 33% above median its 10-year median of 6.00 and 33.3% above the Retail - Defensive industry median of 6.00. The Chefs' Warehouse's overall GF Score™ is 78/100 with 7 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Piotroski F-Score calculated?
Piotroski F-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For The Chefs' Warehouse (CHEF), the current Piotroski F-Score is 8 as of Jun. 26, 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 (CHEF) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, The Chefs' Warehouse stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of $94.35 is trading 78% above its estimated GF Value™ of $53.02.
GuruFocus considers The Chefs' Warehouse to be Significantly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for CHEF:
Piotroski F-Score: 8 (33% above median its 10-year median of 6.00)
GF Value™: $53.02 vs. price of $94.35 (78% above fair value)
Industry Position: 33.3% above the Retail - Defensive median (#5 of 298)
No single metric tells the full story. See the CHEF 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.
78GF Score
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