RIDGEFIELD, Conn., May 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHEF) (the "Company" or "Chefs'"), a premier distributor of specialty food products in the United States, the Middle East, and Canada, today reported financial results for its first quarter ended March 29, 2024. Financial highlights for the first quarter of 2024: Net sales increased 21.5% to $874.5 million for the first quarter of 2024 from $719.6 million for the first quarter of 2023. GAAP net income was $1.9 million, or $0.05 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2024 compared to $1.4 million, or $0.04 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2023. Adjusted net income per share1 was $0.15 for the first quarter of 2024 compared to $0.12 for the first quarter of 2023. Adjusted EBITDA1 was $40.2 million for the first quarter of 2024 compared to $32.8 million for the first quarter of 2023. "First quarter 2024 business activity displayed typical seasonal cadence as revenue trends coming out of January increased steadily into February and March. Our business units, international and domestic, delivered strong new customer and placement growth during the first quarter and aggregate price inflation continued to trend in the low single digit range", said Christopher Pappas, Chairman and Chief Executive of the Company. "I would like to thank all our Chefs' Warehouse teams, from sales and operations to all the supporting functions, for delivering a great start to 2024. As we head into the second quarter and the rest of the year, I would also like to recognize our customer and supplier partners for their support and confidence in our people, diversity and quality of products, and our high-touch, flexible distribution platform." First Quarter Fiscal 2024 Results Net sales for the first quarter of 2024 increased 21.5% to $874.5 million from $719.6 million in the first quarter of 2023. The growth in net sales was the result of an increase in organic sales of approximately 8.8% as well as the contribution of sales from acquisitions, which added approximately 12.7% to sales growth for the quarter. Organic case count increased approximately 4.6% in the Company's specialty category for the first quarter of 2024 with unique customers and placement increases at 10.1% and 12.0% respectively, compared to the first quarter of 2023. Organic pounds sold in the Company's center-of-the-plate category increased approximately 6.2% for the first quarter of 2024 compared to the first quarter of 2023. Gross profit increased 23.4% to $209.4 million for the first quarter of 2024 from $169.7 million for the first quarter of 2023. The increase in gross profit dollars was primarily as a result of increased sales and price inflation. Gross profit margins increased approximately 37 basis points to 23.9%. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased by approximately 21.9% to $190.3 million for the first quarter of 2024 from $156.1 million for the first quarter of 2023. The increase was primarily due to higher depreciation and amortization driven by acquisitions and facility investments, and higher costs associated with compensation and benefits, facilities and distribution to support sales growth. As a percentage of net sales, selling, general and administrative expenses were 21.8% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to 21.7% in the first quarter of 2023. The increase is due to increased near-term costs associated with our investments in facilities and acquisitions. Other operating expenses, net increased by $1.4 million primarily due to nonrecurring charges associated with employee severance in the first quarter of 2024. Operating income for the first quarter of 2024 was $16.0 million compared to $11.9 million for the first quarter of 2023. The increase in operating income was driven primarily by higher gross profit, partially offset by higher selling, general and administrative expense, as discussed above. As a percentage of net sales, operating income was 1.7% in both the first quarter of 2024 and 2023. Interest expense increased to $13.2 million for the first quarter of 2024 compared to $10.0 million for the first quarter of 2023. The increase was primarily driven by higher principal amounts of outstanding debt and higher rates of interest charged on the variable rate portion of our outstanding debt. Net income for the first quarter of 2024 was $1.9 million, or $0.05 per diluted share, compared to $1.4 million, or $0.04 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2023. Adjusted EBITDA1 was $40.2 million for the first quarter of 2024 compared to $32.8 million for the first quarter of 2023. For the first quarter of 2024, adjusted net income1 was $5.9 million, or $0.15 per diluted share compared to adjusted net income of $4.6 million, or $0.12 per diluted share for the first quarter of 2023. 2024 Guidance We are providing fiscal 2024 full year financial guidance as follows: Net sales in the range of $3.640 billion to $3.785 billion, Gross profit to be between $867.0 million and $902.0 million and Adjusted EBITDA to be between $207.0 million and $219.0 million. 1EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted net income per share are non-GAAP measures. Please see the schedules accompanying this earnings release for a reconciliation of EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted net income per share to these measures' most directly comparable GAAP measure. First Quarter 2024 Earnings Conference Call The Company will host a conference call to discuss first quarter 2024 financial results today at 8:30 a.m. EDT. Hosting the call will be Chris Pappas, chairman and chief executive officer, and Jim Leddy, chief financial officer. The conference call will be webcast live from the Company's investor relations website at http://investors.chefswarehouse.com. An online archive of the webcast will be available on the Company's investor relations website. Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this press release regarding the Company's business that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations and management estimates; actual results may differ materially. The risks and uncertainties which could impact these statements include, but are not limited to the following: our success depends to a significant extent upon general economic conditions, including disposable income levels and changes in consumer discretionary spending; the relatively low margins of our business, which are sensitive to inflationary and deflationary pressures and intense competition; the effects of rising costs for and/or decreases in supply of commodities, ingredients, packaging, other raw materials, distribution and labor; crude oil prices and their impact on distribution, packaging and energy costs; our continued ability to promote our brand successfully, to anticipate and respond to new customer demands, and to develop new products and markets to compete effectively; our ability and the ability of our supply chain partners to continue to operate distribution centers and other work locations without material disruption, and to procure ingredients, packaging and other raw materials when needed despite disruptions in the supply chain or labor shortages; risks associated with the expansion of our business; our possible inability to identify new acquisitions or to integrate recent or future acquisitions, or our failure to realize anticipated revenue enhancements, cost savings or other synergies from recent or future acquisitions; other factors that affect the food industry generally, including: recalls if products become adulterated or misbranded, liability if product consumption causes injury, ingredient disclosure and labeling laws and regulations and the possibility that customers could lose confidence in the safety and quality of certain food products; new information or attitudes regarding diet and health or adverse opinions about the health effects of the products we distribute; changes in disposable income levels and consumer purchasing habits; competitors' pricing practices and promotional spending levels; fluctuations in the level of our customers' inventories and credit and other related business risks; and the risks associated with third-party suppliers, including the risk that any failure by one or more of our third-party suppliers to comply with food safety or other laws and regulations may disrupt our supply of raw materials or certain products or injure our reputation; our ability to recruit and retain senior management and a highly skilled and diverse workforce; unanticipated expenses, including, without limitation, litigation or legal settlement expenses; the cost and adequacy of our insurance policies; the impact and effects of public health crises, pandemics and epidemics, such as the outbreak of COVID-19, and the adverse impact thereof on our business, financial condition, and results of operations; significant governmental regulation and any potential failure to comply with such regulations; federal, state, provincial and local tax rules in the United States and the foreign countries in which we operate, including tax reform and legislation; risks relating to our substantial indebtedness; our ability to raise additional capital and/or obtain debt or other financing, on commercially reasonable terms or at all; our ability to meet future cash requirements, including the ability to access financial markets effectively and maintain sufficient liquidity; the effects of currency movements in the jurisdictions in which we operate as compared to the U.S. dollar; changes in the method of determining Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR"), or the replacement of SOFR with an alternative rate; and the effects of international trade disputes, tariffs, quotas and other import or export restrictions on our international procurement, sales and operations. Any forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and, as such, speak only as of the date made. A more detailed description of these and other risk factors is contained in the Company's most recent annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 27, 2024 and other reports filed by the Company with the SEC since that date. The Company is not undertaking to update any information until required by applicable laws. Any projections of future results of operations are based on a number of assumptions, many of which are outside the Company's control and should not be construed in any manner as a guarantee that such results will in fact occur. These projections are subject to change and could differ materially from final reported results. The Company may from time to time update these publicly announced projections, but it is not obligated to do so. About The Chefs' Warehouse The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. (http://www.chefswarehouse.com) is a premier distributor of specialty food products in the United States, the Middle East and Canada focused on serving the specific needs of chefs who own and/or operate some of the nation's leading menu-driven independent restaurants, fine dining establishments, country clubs, hotels, caterers, culinary schools, bakeries, patisseries, chocolateries, cruise lines, casinos and specialty food stores. The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. carries and distributes more than 70,000 products to more than 44,000 customer locations throughout the United States, the Middle East and Canada. Contact:Investor Relations Jim Leddy, CFO, (718) 684-8415 THE CHEFS' WAREHOUSE, INC.CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS(unaudited; in thousands except share amounts and per share data)     Thirteen Weeks Ended   March 29, 2024   March 31, 2023 Net sales $ 874,488   $ 719,645 Cost of sales   665,052     549,937 Gross profit   209,436     169,708         Selling, general and administrative expenses   190,321     156,137 Other operating expenses, net   3,112     1,672 Operating income   16,003     11,899         Interest expense   13,244     10,006 Income before income taxes   2,759     1,893         Provision for income tax expense   828     492         Net income $ 1,931   $ 1,401                 Net income per share:       Basic $ 0.05   $ 0.04 Diluted $ 0.05   $ 0.04         Weighted average common shares outstanding:       Basic   37,820,725     37,507,093 Diluted   38,626,885     38,161,269 THE CHEFS' WAREHOUSE, INC.CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETSAS OF MARCH 29, 2024 AND DECEMBER 29, 2023 (unaudited; in thousands)     March 29, 2024   December 29, 2023 Cash and cash equivalents $ 42,266     $ 49,878   Accounts receivable, net   313,098       334,015   Inventories   271,791       284,528   Prepaid expenses and other current assets   65,533       62,522   Total current assets   692,688       730,943           Property and equipment, net   250,689       234,793   Operating lease right-of-use assets   185,425       192,307   Goodwill   356,579       356,021   Intangible assets, net   178,647       184,863   Other assets   6,346       6,379   Total assets $ 1,670,374     $ 1,705,306           Accounts payable $ 183,003     $ 200,547   Accrued liabilities   63,372       70,728   Short-term operating lease liabilities