Why The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. Shares Tumbled

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our thesis.

What: Shares of The Chefs' Warehouse were dropping like a falling knife today, losing as much as 22% after the company revised its 2013 guidance downward.

So what: The distributor of specialty food products said it now expects revenue of $670 million to $673 million, which was in line with expectations, but the company also sees adjusted net income of $0.80 to $0.81, below estimates of $0.90 and even with last year's total, despite a 40% increase in revenue. CEO Christopher Pappas said, "Top-line performance of our core business for 2013 was toward the lower end of our expectations, due in part to adverse weather," and went on to say that December was much weaker than anticipated. Still, Pappas said management was confident in "our long-term business strategy of growing and building our core markets."

Now what: In the aftermath, Chefs' Warehouse was downgraded by BB&TCapital Markets, and Canaccord lowered its price target from $28 to $24. Another potential concern is an accounting issue that came up in its Michael's Finer Meats subsidiary, and management said it was taking a charge of $0.02 per share to correct for it, saying it was not material. Despite the downward revisions, Chef's Warehouse does seem to be moving in the right direction with its recent acquisition of Allen Brothers, and the growth potential in the "foodie" industry seems to be strong. Shares were trading down just 7% by the afternoon as the market seems to believe the stock was oversold initially. I would also see the early morning sell-off as an overreaction.

The right way to invest
It's no secret that investors tend to be impatient with the market, but the best investment strategy is to buy shares in solid businesses and keep them for the long term. In the special free report "3 Stocks That Will Help You Retire Rich," The Motley Fool shares investment ideas and strategies that could help you build wealth for years to come. Click here to grab your free copy today.

The article Why The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. Shares Tumbled originally appeared on Fool.com.

Jeremy Bowman has no position in any stocks mentioned, and neither does The Motley Fool. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2014 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.