Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY) Shares Sold by Park National Corp OH

Park National Corp OH lowered its stake in Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY) by 18.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,954 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,889 shares during the period. Park National Corp OH’s holdings in Sysco were worth $1,296,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Sysco Price Performance

NYSE:SYY opened at $74.80 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $77.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $75.73. Sysco Co. has a 12 month low of $69.03 and a 12 month high of $82.89. The firm has a market cap of $36.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.38.

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

Sysco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 24th. Investors of record on Friday, January 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.73%. Sysco’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.44%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Melius started coverage on shares of Sysco in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. They set a “hold” rating and a $85.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com lowered Sysco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Sysco from $87.00 to $82.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Sysco from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded shares of Sysco to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $85.93.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Eve M. Mcfadden sold 6,499 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $519,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 48,451 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,876,080. This trade represents a 11.83 % 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 this link. Also, EVP Greg D. Bertrand sold 21,844 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 60,581 shares in the company, valued at $4,846,480. This trade represents a 26.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 83,306 shares of company stock valued at $6,485,050 in the last ninety days. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Sysco Company 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.