16,338 Shares in Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY) Purchased by Aurora Investment Counsel

Aurora Investment Counsel bought a new position in shares of Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 16,338 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,275,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Sysco in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Sysco by 1,240.0% in the third quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 335 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 310 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Sysco in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. acquired a new position in Sysco in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Focused Wealth Management Inc acquired a new position in Sysco in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.41% of the company's stock.

Sysco Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:SYY opened at $73.63 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.38. The business has a fifty day moving average of $75.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $74.74. The stock has a market cap of $36.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.93, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.20. Sysco Co. has a 52-week low of $69.03 and a 52-week high of $82.89.

Sysco (NYSE:SYY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.13 by ($0.04). Sysco had a net margin of 2.44% and a return on equity of 101.04%. The business had revenue of $20.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.47 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.07 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Sysco Co. will post 4.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Sysco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 3rd will be paid a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 3rd. Sysco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Sysco from $87.00 to $82.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Sysco from $85.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Barclays upped their target price on Sysco from $85.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Sysco from $91.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Sysco from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Sysco has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.77.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Sheila Talton sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.63, for a total transaction of $216,427.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 12,955 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $966,831.65. This represents a 18.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Eve M. Mcfadden sold 4,036 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.10, for a total value of $303,103.60. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 48,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,638,670.10. The trade was a 7.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.54% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Sysco 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.

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