Sysco (NYSE:SYY) Shares Up 3.1% - What's Next?

Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY - Get Free Report) traded up 3.1% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $72.70 and last traded at $72.58. 1,782,544 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 43% from the average session volume of 3,131,805 shares. The stock had previously closed at $70.39.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Sysco in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Sysco from $87.00 to $86.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley dropped 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 report on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com cut shares of Sysco from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Sysco from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $84.77.

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Sysco Trading Up 0.1 %

The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $72.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $75.13. 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 firm has a market cap of $36.25 billion, a PE ratio of 19.05, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.11.

Sysco (NYSE:SYY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $0.93 EPS 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Sysco Co. will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sysco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be paid a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. Sysco's dividend payout ratio is presently 52.44%.

Insider Transactions at Sysco

In related news, EVP Greg D. Bertrand sold 48,027 shares of Sysco stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.00, for a total value 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. The trade was a 46.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sysco

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Sysco by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 18,758 shares of the company's stock worth $1,464,000 after acquiring an additional 1,706 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Sysco by 17.0% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,918,365 shares of the company's stock worth $305,868,000 after purchasing an additional 569,058 shares during the period. Financial Counselors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sysco by 5.0% during the third quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 10,794 shares of the company's stock valued at $843,000 after purchasing an additional 516 shares in the last quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Sysco by 13.7% during the third quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 23,133 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,797,000 after purchasing an additional 2,782 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors grew its stake in shares of Sysco by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 124,341 shares of the company's stock worth $9,706,000 after buying an additional 8,891 shares during the last quarter. 83.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.