Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Sysco Call Options (NYSE:SYY)

Sysco Corporation (NYSE:SYY) saw some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors bought 7,910 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 185% compared to the typical volume of 2,775 call options.

Sysco Stock Down 1.5%

SYY opened at $73.35 on Thursday. Sysco has a fifty-two week low of $67.12 and a fifty-two week high of $83.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.54, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The company’s 50-day moving average is $77.26 and its 200 day moving average is $77.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.67, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.61.

Sysco (NYSE:SYY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.03. Sysco had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 112.04%. The firm had revenue of $21.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.09 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sysco has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.500-4.600 EPS. Research analysts expect that Sysco 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, January 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.54 per share. This represents a $2.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. Sysco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SYY has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Sysco from $86.00 to $82.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Barclays increased their target price on Sysco from $82.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 price target on shares of Sysco in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Sysco in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $83.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Sysco from $87.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $87.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Ronald L. Phillips sold 961 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.00, for a total transaction of $77,841.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 41,501 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,361,581. This represents a 2.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.56% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Jackson Grant Investment Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Sysco during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Sysco by 75.0% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 315 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in Sysco in the second quarter worth about $30,000. Peterson Wealth Services boosted its stake in Sysco by 875.7% in the third quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Sysco during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 83.41% 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.