Sargent Investment Group LLC Purchases Shares of 5,678 Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY)

Sargent Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 5,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $419,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Sysco by 1,240.0% in the 3rd quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 335 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Sysco during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sysco during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Focused Wealth Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Sysco in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Canoe Financial LP bought a new position in shares of Sysco during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. 83.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Sysco from $86.00 to $82.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Melius assumed coverage on Sysco in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. They set a "hold" rating and a $85.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Sysco from $79.00 to $77.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Melius Research raised shares of Sysco to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Sysco in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sysco currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $84.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sysco

In related news, EVP Greg D. Bertrand sold 48,027 shares of Sysco stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.00, for a total value of $3,698,079.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 56,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,335,408. This trade represents a 46.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Eve M. Mcfadden sold 6,499 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $519,920.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 48,451 shares in the company, valued at $3,876,080. This represents a 11.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 79,270 shares of company stock worth $6,181,946. 0.54% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Sysco Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of SYY stock traded down $0.13 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $71.13. 3,078,287 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,927,183. The company's 50-day moving average price is $75.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.92. The company has a market cap of $34.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.66. Sysco Co. has a 12 month low of $69.03 and a 12 month high of $82.33.

Sysco (NYSE:SYY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.93. Sysco had a net margin of 2.40% and a return on equity of 106.30%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Sysco Co. will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sysco Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 24th. Investors of record on Friday, January 3rd were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 3rd. Sysco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.44%.

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.