O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Purchases 7,493 Shares of Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY) by 14.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 61,206 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,493 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Sysco were worth $4,680,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fortem Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sysco by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Fortem Financial Group LLC now owns 3,875 shares of the company’s stock worth $296,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Sysco by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 34,330 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,625,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Morton Community Bank grew its stake in Sysco by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Morton Community Bank now owns 40,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,103,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Sysco by 53.0% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FineMark National Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Sysco by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. FineMark National Bank & Trust now owns 8,580 shares of the company’s stock worth $656,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. 83.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sysco Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of Sysco stock opened at $75.28 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $73.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.10. The company has a market cap of $36.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.35, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.11. Sysco Co. has a 12-month low of $69.03 and a 12-month high of $82.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.66.

Sysco (NYSE:SYY) last announced 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 period in the prior year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Sysco Co. will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sysco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 4th will be issued a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.71%. Sysco’s payout ratio is currently 52.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on SYY. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Sysco from $87.00 to $86.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Sysco from $93.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com cut shares of Sysco from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Sysco in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Sysco from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sysco presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.77.

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.