Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY) Shares Sold by Monarch Capital Management Inc.

Monarch Capital Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 60,273 shares of the company’s stock after selling 403 shares during the quarter. Sysco accounts for approximately 1.3% of Monarch Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Monarch Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Sysco were worth $4,608,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of SYY. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. raised its stake 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 valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 310 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Sysco in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. purchased a new stake in Sysco in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Focused Wealth Management Inc acquired a new position in Sysco during the third quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Canoe Financial LP purchased a new position in shares of Sysco during the third quarter worth $38,000. 83.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on SYY. StockNews.com raised Sysco from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Melius started coverage on shares of Sysco in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. They set a “hold” rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. Melius Research upgraded shares of Sysco to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Sysco from $87.00 to $82.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Sysco from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $85.93.

Insider Activity

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 in the company, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Greg D. Bertrand sold 48,027 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.00, for a total transaction 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 $4,335,408. The trade was a 46.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 83,306 shares of company stock valued at $6,485,050. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Sysco Price Performance

SYY stock opened at $73.02 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $76.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $75.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.38. The stock has a market cap of $35.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.77, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.18. Sysco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $69.03 and a fifty-two week high of $82.89.

Sysco (NYSE:SYY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.13 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $20.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.47 billion. Sysco had a return on equity of 101.04% and a net margin of 2.44%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.07 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Sysco Co. will post 4.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sysco Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.79%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 3rd. Sysco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.