Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC Lowers Stock Position in Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY)

Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 5,894 shares of the company’s stock after selling 235 shares during the quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Sysco were worth $451,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. National Pension Service increased its stake in shares of Sysco by 15.6% in 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 in the last quarter. New England Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Sysco by 12.7% during the 3rd 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 during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position 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 buying an additional 17,587 shares in the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Sysco by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,685,547 shares of the company’s stock valued at $521,874,000 after acquiring an additional 672,940 shares during the period. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors grew its stake in Sysco by 7.7% in 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.41% of the company’s stock.

Sysco Price Performance

Sysco stock opened at $72.79 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.66. The stock has a market cap of $35.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.71, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $76.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $75.99. Sysco Co. has a 12-month low of $69.03 and a 12-month high of $82.89.

Sysco (NYSE:SYY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.93. Sysco had a net margin of 2.40% and a return on equity of 106.30%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Sysco Co. will post 4.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Sysco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 24th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 3rd. Sysco’s payout ratio is 52.44%.

Insider Activity at Sysco

In other news, EVP Greg D. Bertrand sold 21,844 shares of Sysco 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 60,581 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,846,480. The trade was a 26.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sheila Talton sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 79,270 shares of company stock worth $6,181,946. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Sysco from $87.00 to $86.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Melius started coverage on Sysco in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $85.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Sysco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Melius Research upgraded Sysco to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Sysco from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.85.

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.