AIFG Consultants Ltd. Lowers Holdings in Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY)

AIFG Consultants Ltd. reduced its stake in Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY) by 59.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,693 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,895 shares during the period. AIFG Consultants Ltd.’s holdings in Sysco were worth $359,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. National Pension Service lifted its stake in Sysco by 15.6% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,237,017 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,562,000 after acquiring an additional 166,798 shares during the period. New England Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Sysco by 12.7% in the third quarter. New England Asset Management Inc. now owns 131,360 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,254,000 after buying an additional 14,810 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Sysco by 29.0% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 78,333 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,115,000 after acquiring an additional 17,587 shares during the period. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Sysco by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,685,547 shares of the company’s stock worth $521,874,000 after acquiring an additional 672,940 shares during the period. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in Sysco by 7.7% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 124,341 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,706,000 after purchasing an additional 8,891 shares in the last quarter. 83.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sysco Stock Performance

SYY stock opened at $70.07 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $34.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.01, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.17. Sysco Co. has a twelve month low of $69.03 and a twelve month high of $82.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.66. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $75.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $75.96.

Sysco (NYSE:SYY) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $0.93 EPS 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 prior year, the company posted $0.89 EPS. Analysts predict that Sysco Co. will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Sysco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 3rd. Sysco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sysco news, Director Sheila Talton sold 2,900 shares of Sysco 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $966,831.65. The trade was a 18.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Greg D. Bertrand sold 21,844 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $1,747,520.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 60,581 shares in the company, valued at $4,846,480. The trade was a 26.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 79,270 shares of company stock valued at $6,181,946 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on SYY shares. Melius initiated coverage on shares of Sysco in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $85.00 target price for the company. UBS Group cut their price target on Sysco from $87.00 to $86.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Sysco from $87.00 to $82.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Sysco from $86.00 to $82.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Sysco in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sysco has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.