Sysco (NYSE:SYY) Reaches New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Sysco Corporation (NYSE:SYY) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $87.35 and last traded at $86.52, with a volume of 3888630 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $86.53.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on SYY shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sysco in a report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup upped their target price on Sysco from $81.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Sysco from $89.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Sysco from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Sysco in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sysco has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.38.

Sysco Stock Down 0.0%

The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.44 billion, a PE ratio of 23.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.61. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $76.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $78.15.

Sysco (NYSE:SYY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.01. Sysco had a net margin of 2.17% and a return on equity of 109.21%. The company had revenue of $20.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.80 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.93 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sysco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.600-4.600 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Sysco Corporation will post 4.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sysco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd were given a dividend of $0.54 per share. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 2nd. Sysco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Sheila Talton sold 2,801 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.99, for a total transaction of $232,454.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 12,868 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,067,915.32. This represents a 17.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Ronald L. Phillips sold 5,601 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total value of $453,681.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 35,965 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,913,165. This trade represents a 13.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Sysco

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SYY. Montag A & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in Sysco by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 8,743 shares of the company’s stock valued at $644,000 after buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. United Community Bank boosted its position in shares of Sysco by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. United Community Bank now owns 1,224 shares of the company’s stock valued at $90,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Sysco by 2.6% during the third quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 4,904 shares of the company’s stock valued at $404,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in Sysco by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 40,852 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,364,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, Facet Wealth Inc. increased its holdings in Sysco by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Facet Wealth Inc. now owns 10,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $849,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the period. 83.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Sysco

Sysco Corporation (NYSE: SYY) is a global foodservice distribution company that supplies a broad range of food and related products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments, and other foodservice customers. Its core business is the procurement, warehousing and delivery of fresh, frozen and dry food products, complemented by non-food items such as paper goods, kitchen equipment, cleaning supplies and tabletop products. Sysco serves customers through an extensive network of distribution centers and dedicated delivery fleets, positioning itself as a one-stop supplier for operators of all sizes.

Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Houston, Texas, Sysco has grown through both organic expansion and acquisitions.