SFE Investment Counsel Sells 7,699 Shares of Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY)

SFE Investment Counsel trimmed its stake in Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY - Free Report) by 54.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,394 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,699 shares during the quarter. SFE Investment Counsel's holdings in Sysco were worth $489,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SYY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Sysco during the third quarter worth $26,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sysco during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Sysco in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Focused Wealth Management Inc acquired a new stake in Sysco in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Canoe Financial LP bought a new position in Sysco during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.41% of the company's stock.

Sysco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SYY traded down $0.78 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $71.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,542,035 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,927,183. The company has a market cap of $34.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.17. Sysco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $69.03 and a fifty-two week high of $82.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.66, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 1.20. The business's 50 day moving average price is $74.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.83.

Sysco (NYSE:SYY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.93. Sysco had a return on equity of 106.30% and a net margin of 2.40%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Sysco Co. will post 4.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Sheila Talton sold 2,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.63, for a total transaction of $216,427.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Greg D. Bertrand sold 48,027 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.00, for a total transaction of $3,698,079.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 56,304 shares in the company, valued at $4,335,408. This represents a 46.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 79,270 shares of company stock worth $6,181,946 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on SYY shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Sysco from $87.00 to $82.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Sysco from $79.00 to $77.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Sysco in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Sysco from $93.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Sysco to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $84.38.

About Sysco

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.