Sysco boosts dividend despite lower sales

Article Excerpt

SYSCO INC. $27 (New York symbol SYY; Conservative Growth Portfolio; Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 591.8 million; Market cap: $16.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.4; WSSF Rating: Average) distributes food and other supplies to over 400,000 restaurants in North America. The weak economy has prompted more people to eat at home. As a result, Sysco’s revenue fell 8.1% in its first quarter, which ended September 26, 2009, to $9.1 billion from $9.9 billion. If you exclude an income-tax adjustment and other non-recurring items, earnings were flat, at $0.46 a share. Even so, Sysco raised its quarterly dividend by 4.2%, to $0.25 from $0.24. The new annual rate of $1.00 yields 3.7%. Sysco is a hold. hold…