Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY) Shares Sold by West Branch Capital LLC

West Branch Capital LLC cut its holdings in shares of Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY) by 29.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,001 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,229 shares during the period. West Branch Capital LLC’s holdings in Sysco were worth $229,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Sysco by 1,240.0% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sysco during the third quarter worth $26,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sysco during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Focused Wealth Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Sysco in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Canoe Financial LP acquired a new stake in Sysco during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. 83.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on SYY shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Sysco from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Sysco from $82.00 to $79.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Sysco from $87.00 to $82.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Melius began coverage on shares of Sysco in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. They set a “hold” rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Sysco to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sysco currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $85.79.

Sysco Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of Sysco stock opened at $73.47 on Wednesday. Sysco Co. has a 12-month low of $69.03 and a 12-month high of $82.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $76.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.38.

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

Sysco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.78%. Sysco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.44%.

Insider Activity at Sysco

In other news, EVP Greg D. Bertrand sold 48,027 shares of Sysco stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, 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 is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sheila Talton sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.63, for a total value of $216,427.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,955 shares in the company, valued at $966,831.65. This trade represents a 18.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 83,306 shares of company stock valued at $6,485,050 over the last ninety days. 0.54% of the stock is owned by 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.