Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY) Shares Sold by SFE Investment Counsel

SFE Investment Counsel decreased its holdings in Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY) by 9.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 23,238 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,412 shares during the quarter. SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings in Sysco were worth $1,699,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in SYY. Brinker Capital Investments LLC increased its position in Sysco by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Brinker Capital Investments LLC now owns 3,851 shares of the company’s stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its stake in Sysco by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 2,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $165,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Geller Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Sysco by 4.2% during the first quarter. Geller Advisors LLC now owns 3,362 shares of the company’s stock worth $276,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC lifted its stake in Sysco by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 2,948 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its stake in Sysco by 1.7% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 8,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $666,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on SYY. StockNews.com cut Sysco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Barclays raised their target price on Sysco from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Stephens raised their target price on Sysco from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Sysco from $84.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Sysco from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $85.38.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Neil Russell sold 1,722 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $137,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 24,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,926,560. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

Sysco Price Performance

NYSE:SYY traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $75.57. 989,427 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,919,500. The company has a market capitalization of $37.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.00. Sysco Co. has a one year low of $62.24 and a one year high of $82.89. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $79.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $74.23.

Sysco (NYSE:SYY) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $19.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.32 billion. Sysco had a return on equity of 105.22% and a net margin of 2.69%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.80 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Sysco Co. will post 4.3 EPS for the current year.

Sysco Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 5th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 4th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.65%. Sysco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.90%.

Sysco Company Profile

Sysco Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the marketing and distribution of various food and related products to the foodservice or food-away-from-home industry in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and internationally. It operates through U.S. Foodservice Operations, International Foodservice Operations, SYGMA, and Other segments.