Sysco Corporation (SYY)
Sysco is the world's largest food distributor, acting as the essential middleman that delivers ingredients to restaurants, hospitals, and schools.
Is Sysco Corporation a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: Sysco is the world's largest food distributor, acting as the essential middleman that delivers ingredients to restaurants, hospitals, and schools.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
Dominance in the food service sector leads to better pricing power
Long-term shift in eating habits away from traditional dining
What does Sysco Corporation do?
Think of Sysco as the giant logistics engine behind your favourite local restaurant or the canteen at your office. The business runs on buying food and supplies in massive bulk from producers and delivering them to thousands of professional kitchens every day. Watch how tightly they keep a lid on costs, because they run on very thin profit margins where every penny counts.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on momentum and income, and weakest on growth.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 2.6% a year
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 5% over the year
- !Thin profits - turns only about 2% of sales into profit
- !Carries a lot of debt - roughly 6.7x its equity
- ✓Strong return on shareholder money (ROE 82%)
- Massive scale makes it difficult for smaller competitors to keep up
- Essential service that people rely on regardless of the economy
- Consistent history of paying dividends to shareholders
- Growth screens low (22/100)
- Economic downturns leading to fewer people eating out
- Rising food inflation that cannot be passed on to customers
- Disruptions in the global food supply chain
What do Sysco Corporation's numbers mean?
How much money does Sysco Corporation make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Does Sysco Corporation pay a dividend?
Yes - Sysco Corporation currently pays a dividend of about 2.6% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.
When does Sysco Corporation report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
Sysco Corporation is next scheduled to report on about 2026-08-04 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-28 | $0.94 | $0.94 | In line |
| 2026-01-27 | $0.98 | $0.99 | Beat +1% |
| 2025-10-28 | $1.12 | $1.15 | Beat +3% |
| 2025-07-29 | $1.39 | $1.48 | Beat +6% |
| 2025-04-29 | $1.02 | $0.96 | Missed -6% |
| 2025-01-28 | $0.92 | $0.93 | In line |
Across the last 6 quarters here, Sysco Corporation came in ahead of what analysts expected 3 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.
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PepsiCo, Inc.What are the scenarios for Sysco Corporation?
An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros and cons of Sysco Corporation?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Massive scale makes it difficult for smaller competitors to keep up
- Essential service that people rely on regardless of the economy
- Consistent history of paying dividends to shareholders
- Very thin profit margins leave little room for error
- High sensitivity to fuel prices and transport costs
- Recent earnings growth has been negative
- Economic downturns leading to fewer people eating out
- Rising food inflation that cannot be passed on to customers
- Disruptions in the global food supply chain
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A sustained, long-term decline in the restaurant and hospitality industry
- A major shift in how food is sourced, bypassing traditional distributors
Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-01 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.