Sysco Corporation’s (SYY Quick QuoteSYY - Free Report) shares have seen a 2.5% rise over the past six months, outperforming the industry’s 7.8% decline. The company continues to benefit from the growing food-away-from-home sector, driving its success. With a focus on supply chain efficiency and cost containment, Sysco navigated challenges like soft restaurant traffic and shifting consumer preferences in the first quarter of fiscal 2025. Despite increased competition, its Recipe for Growth strategy and strategic acquisitions are key growth drivers.

SYY’s Food-Away-From-Home Channel: Key Driver

Sysco is witnessing a notable upswing in its Food-Away-From-Home channel despite broader market challenges. In the fiscal first quarter, Sysco reported a 4.6% sales increase in the U.S. Foodservice operations. Local case volumes within the U.S. Foodservice grew 0.2%, while total case volumes within the same segment increased 2.7%. In the International Foodservice operations segment, sales rose 3%. By prioritizing innovation and tailored solutions for its diverse customer base, Sysco is well positioned to capitalize on the evolving trends in the Food-Away-From-Home market, ultimately driving long-term growth and profitability.

Sysco Leverages Operational Excellence for Growth

Sysco is focused on enhancing efficiency through supply-chain productivity and structural cost-containment efforts. The company made significant strides in enhancing its supply chain productivity, vital for maintaining competitive service levels in the foodservice industry. Sysco rolled out a new sales compensation model on July 1, 2024, incentivizing performance and increasing new customer acquisitions. The planned exit from the Mexico JV aligns with SYY’s return-on-invested-capital framework and enables the company to reallocate resources to higher-margin, high-growth markets. This strategic divestment underscores its focus on optimizing its portfolio for sustainable profitability and global competitive advantage.

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Sysco’s Acquisition Strategy Holds Promise

Another critical factor driving Sysco's growth is its strategic acquisition strategy. Over the past few years, the company has made several key acquisitions to expand its distribution network and product offerings. The company recently acquired Campbells Prime Meat, a leading specialty meat business in the U.K. Sysco acquired Edward Don & Company in early fiscal 2024, which is generating positive synergies. In first-quarter fiscal 2025, DON made a positive impact on the U.S. Foodservice volume, driving a 2.6% increase and boosting local volumes by 1.6%.

In the first quarter of fiscal 2024, Sysco completed the acquisition of BIX Produce, strengthening its specialty produce division, FreshPoint. This strategic buyout helps Sysco expand its geographical footprint into new regions and diversify its specialty produce offerings. These acquisitions align with Sysco's “Recipe for Growth” strategy, which focuses on enhancing sales, improving supply chain efficiency and expanding into new markets.

Cost Woes Persist for SYY

One of the primary concerns for Sysco is the persistent inflationary environment, which is hurting its performance. In first-quarter fiscal 2025, the company witnessed product cost inflation of 2.2% at the overall enterprise level, measured by the estimated change in product costs in the meat and poultry categories. The company’s operating expenses rose 3.6%, thanks to higher volumes, cost inflation and increased selling costs.

Sluggish Restaurant Traffic Impacts Sysco

Sysco is facing macroeconomic challenges characterized by a notable decline in restaurant traffic, which dropped by 3.6% in the fiscal first quarter. Although traffic improved incrementally through the quarter, the overall environment remains challenging. Headwinds such as inflationary pressures on consumers or macroeconomic uncertainty could slow recovery and dampen demand for Sysco's foodservice products. These factors raise concerns about Sysco's ability to maintain growth in an environment where consumer confidence is wavering.

Final Words on SYY Stock

In conclusion, Sysco remains well positioned for continued growth, driven by its strong operational strategies, strategic acquisitions and leadership in the Food-Away-From-Home sector. Despite external challenges, the company’s focus on efficiency and adaptability provides a solid foundation for sustained success in the evolving food industry. At present, SYY carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some Solid Staple Bets

We have highlighted three better-ranked stocks from the Consumer Staples sector, namely United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI Quick QuoteUNFI - Free Report) , Freshpet (FRPT Quick QuoteFRPT - Free Report) and US Foods Holding Corp. (USFD Quick QuoteUSFD - Free Report) .

United Natural currently sports a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy). UNFI delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 553.1%, on average. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The consensus estimate for United Natural’s current financial-year sales and earnings suggests growth of 0.3% and 442.9%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s reported figure.

Freshpet, a pet food company, presently sports a Zacks Rank #1. FRPT has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 144.5%, on average.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Freshpet’s current financial-year sales and earnings suggests growth of 27.2% and 228.6%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s reported figure.

US Foods, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the marketing, sale and distribution of fresh, frozen and dry food and non-food products to food service customers in the United States. It currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). USFD has a trailing four-quarter negative earnings surprise of 0.4%, on average.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for US Foods Holding’s current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates growth of 6.4% and 18.6%, respectively, from the prior-year reported levels.