CHEF vs USFD vs UNFI Stock Comparison

Chefs' Warehouse, US Foods Holding and United Natural Foods Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CHEF Chefs' Warehouse, Inc.
$106.33 -3.6% 1M +81.6% 1Y
Market cap
$4.10B
P/E
44.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.39B
Div. yield
–
Food Distribution Consumer Staples
5 wins
USFD US Foods Holding Corp.
$101.41 +8.7% 1M +36.5% 1Y
Market cap
$22.06B
P/E
30.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$40.13B
Div. yield
–
Food Distribution Consumer Staples
4 wins
UNFI United Natural Foods Inc
$48.27 +5.2% 1M +22.1% 1Y
Market cap
$2.91B
P/E
34.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$31.15B
Div. yield
–
Food Distribution Consumer Staples
2 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Chefs' Warehouse leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Chefs' Warehouse 5, US Foods Holding 4, United Natural Foods 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCHEFUSFDUNFILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $4.10B $22.06B $2.91B USFD
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 44.6x 30.3x 34.7x USFD
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 43.0x 22.6x 13.8x UNFI
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.2% +3.8% -2.0% CHEF
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 2.1% 1.8% 0.3% CHEF
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 8.8% 9.9% 5.4% USFD
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.3x 3.1x 3.0x CHEF
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +81.6% +36.5% +22.1% CHEF
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +26.2%/yr +23.8%/yr +2.9%/yr CHEF
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 37.4% 30.2% 42.4% USFD
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 47/100 48/100 51/100 UNFI

Percentile Scorecard

CHEFUSFDUNFI

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisCHEFUSFDUNFI
Valuation 18 #33 of 40 36 #26 of 40 82 #8 of 40
Growth 89 #5 of 38 51 #19 of 38 76 #10 of 38
Profitability 49 #19 of 36 51 #18 of 36 34 #24 of 36
Financial Health 59 #17 of 40 21 #32 of 40 28 #29 of 40
Shareholder Returns 19 #23 of 28 82 #6 of 28 37 #18 of 28
Overall 47 48 51
  • CHEF ranked among 41 companies in Staples Retail
  • USFD ranked among 41 companies in Staples Retail
  • UNFI ranked among 41 companies in Staples Retail

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodCHEFUSFDUNFISPY
1 month -3.6%+8.7%+5.2% -0.8%
3 months +11.1%+2.2%-1.6% +3.5%
6 months +59.1%+11.4%+0.3% +7.0%
Year to date +70.6%+34.6%+43.4% +12.2%
1 year +81.6%+36.5%+22.1% +13.0%
3 years +492.4%+174.6%+241.4% +86.3%
3 years, per year +81.0%+40.1%+50.6% +23.1%
5 years +220.2%+190.5%+15.5% +68.6%
5 years, per year +26.2%+23.8%+2.9% +11.0%
10 years +778.8%+346.3%+14.7% +258.0%
10 years, per year +24.3%+16.1%+1.4% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureCHEFUSFDUNFISPY
Volatility, 1Y 37.4%30.2%42.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 32.6%25.4%43.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.540.170.40 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 2.181.210.52 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -56.1%-32.8%-84.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -8.7%-8.6%-13.1% -1.8%
52-week high $116.42$110.96$55.52 $779.14
52-week low $57.27$70.05$31.42 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleCHEFUSFDUNFI
P/E now vs peer median 45.0xmedian 22.0x 30.5xmedian 22.0x 34.9xmedian 22.0x
P/S now vs peer median 1.0xmedian 0.5x 0.5xmedian 0.5x 0.1xmedian 0.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 19.2xmedian 9.8x 15.7xmedian 9.8x 8.6xmedian 9.8x
P/FCF now vs peer median 34.5xmedian 17.8x 23.2xmedian 17.8x 9.0xmedian 17.8x
P/B now vs peer median 6.7xmedian 3.0x 5.1xmedian 3.0x 1.8xmedian 3.0x
PEG now vs peer median 0.71median 1.18 1.30median 1.18 0.70median 1.18

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsCHEFUSFDUNFI
Revenue $4.39B $40.13B $31.15B
Gross profit $1.07B $7.05B $4.20B
Operating income $173.92M $1.26B $211.00M
Net income $91.97M $728.00M $84.00M
Free cash flow $125.77M $946.00M $323.00M
EPS (diluted) $2.00 $3.29 $1.34
Cash & equivalents $135.47M $56.00M $37.00M
Total debt $724.68M $5.41B $1.57B
Shares (diluted) 46.05M 221.00M 62.80M
Enterprise value $3.66B $21.86B $2.74B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricCHEFUSFDUNFI
P/E 45.0x 30.5x 34.9x
P/FCF 34.5x 23.2x 9.0x
P/Operating cash flow 26.8x 16.0x 5.4x
P/S 1.0x 0.5x 0.1x
P/B 6.7x 5.1x 1.8x
P/Tangible book 8.3x 6.2x 2.6x
EV/EBITDA 19.2x 15.7x 8.6x
EV/EBIT 28.3x 21.6x 21.0x
EV/Revenue 1.1x 0.7x 0.1x
EV/FCF 39.2x 28.8x 13.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 30.4x 19.9x 8.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.71 1.30 0.70

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCHEFUSFDUNFI
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.2% 3.8% -2.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 12.9% 4.7% 1.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 12.3% 4.8% -0.6%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 14.1% 5.9% 0.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) 23.1% 7.2% 780.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 25.0% 11.2% 20.7%
Net income growth (1Y) 32.2% 31.6% 171.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 64.3% 16.0% 40.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 32.2% 38.8% 168.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 63.8% 23.4% 50.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 3.1% 7.1% 14.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 125.4% 5.7% -4.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 6.4% 1.5% 35.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 81.8% 0.6% 2.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCHEFUSFDUNFI
Gross margin 24.5% 17.6% 13.5%
EBITDA margin 5.8% 4.3% 1.6%
Operating margin 4.0% 3.1% 0.7%
Pretax margin 3.0% 2.4% 0.3%
Net margin 2.1% 1.8% 0.3%
FCF margin 2.9% 2.4% 1.0%
Operating cash flow margin 3.7% 3.4% 1.7%
Return on equity 14.6% 16.9% 5.2%
Return on assets 4.6% 5.1% 1.2%
Return on invested capital 8.8% 9.9% 5.4%
Return on capital employed 11.2% 12.2% 4.5%
Asset turnover 2.2x 2.8x 4.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.8x 1.9x 6.4x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% 0.2% 0.2%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCHEFUSFDUNFI
Debt / assets 35.8% 37.7% 22.0%
Debt / equity 1.1x 1.3x 1.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.3x 3.1x 3.0x
Debt / FCF 5.8x 5.7x 4.8x
Liabilities / assets 68.0% 70.2% 77.2%
Equity / assets 32.0% 29.8% 22.8%
Interest coverage 4.3x 4.1x 1.7x
Current ratio 2.1x 1.1x 1.3x
Quick ratio 1.2x 0.6x 0.4x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.0x 0.0x
Altman Z-score 4.82 4.74 5.13

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCHEFUSFDUNFI
Dividend yield – – –
Net buyback yield 0.3% 4.8% 0.9%
Shareholder yield 0.3% 4.8% 0.9%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusCHEFUSFDUNFI
Forward P/E 43.0xFY2026 22.6xFY2026 13.8xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $2.47FY2026 $4.49FY2026 $3.50FY2027
EPS growth, next FY +30.0%FY2026 +12.8%FY2026 +32.1%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after +21.9% +18.7% +22.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $4.40BFY2026 $40.02BFY2026 $32.45BFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +6.1%FY2026 +1.5%FY2026 +4.2%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +7.1% +11.9% -3.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCHEFUSFDUNFI
Held by institutions 100.0% 100.0% 93.7%
Institutions holding 286 670 359
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.3% +1.6% -0.6%
Institutions buying 171 309 185
Institutions selling 89 275 116
Buyers to sellers 1.92 1.12 1.59

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

CHEFUSFDUNFI
CHEF 1.00 0.36 0.30
USFD 0.36 1.00 0.27
UNFI 0.30 0.27 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CHEF, USFD and UNFI?

US Foods Holding (USFD) is the largest by market capitalisation: Chefs' Warehouse (CHEF) $4.10B, US Foods Holding (USFD) $22.06B, United Natural Foods (UNFI) $2.91B.

Which stock is cheaper, CHEF, USFD and UNFI?

US Foods Holding (USFD) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Chefs' Warehouse (CHEF) 44.6x, US Foods Holding (USFD) 30.3x, United Natural Foods (UNFI) 34.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, United Natural Foods (UNFI) is cheapest (Chefs' Warehouse (CHEF) 43.0x, US Foods Holding (USFD) 22.6x, United Natural Foods (UNFI) 13.8x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Chefs' Warehouse (CHEF) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Chefs' Warehouse (CHEF) +11.2%, US Foods Holding (USFD) +3.8%, United Natural Foods (UNFI) -2.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Chefs' Warehouse (CHEF) has the highest net margin (Chefs' Warehouse (CHEF) 2.1%, US Foods Holding (USFD) 1.8%, United Natural Foods (UNFI) 0.3%). On return on invested capital, US Foods Holding (USFD) leads (Chefs' Warehouse (CHEF) 8.8%, US Foods Holding (USFD) 9.9%, United Natural Foods (UNFI) 5.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Chefs' Warehouse (CHEF) returned the most: Chefs' Warehouse (CHEF) +81.6%, US Foods Holding (USFD) +36.5%, United Natural Foods (UNFI) +22.1%. Over five years, Chefs' Warehouse (CHEF) compounded fastest (Chefs' Warehouse (CHEF) +26.2%/yr, US Foods Holding (USFD) +23.8%/yr, United Natural Foods (UNFI) +2.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, US Foods Holding (USFD) has been the steadiest (Chefs' Warehouse (CHEF) 37.4%, US Foods Holding (USFD) 30.2%, United Natural Foods (UNFI) 42.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CHEF, USFD and UNFI?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Chefs' Warehouse (CHEF) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.