Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Sells 696 Shares of Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in Sysco Co. (NYSE:SYY) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 440,979 shares of the company’s stock after selling 696 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned about 0.09% of Sysco worth $33,717,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in Sysco by 10.0% during the third quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 18,758 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,464,000 after buying an additional 1,706 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sysco by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,918,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $305,868,000 after purchasing an additional 569,058 shares in the last quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. grew its position in Sysco by 5.0% in the third quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 10,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $843,000 after acquiring an additional 516 shares during the last quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd increased its position in Sysco by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 23,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,797,000 after purchasing an additional 2,782 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.41% of the company’s stock.

Sysco Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of Sysco stock opened at $74.10 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $36.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.11. Sysco Co. has a fifty-two week low of $69.03 and a fifty-two week high of $82.23. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $75.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.66, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 1.20.

Sysco (NYSE:SYY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates 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. As a group, equities analysts predict that Sysco Co. will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sysco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, April 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 4th. Sysco’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on SYY. Melius Research raised Sysco to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Melius started coverage on shares of Sysco in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $85.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Sysco from $87.00 to $86.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Sysco from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sysco currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $84.77.

Insider Activity

In other Sysco news, 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 56,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,335,408. This represents a 46.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

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.