SYSCO Corporation vs Unilever plc — how do they compare? SYSCO Corporation trades at $83.74 (market cap $40.32B), while Unilever plc trades at $61.52 (market cap $134.06B). The key difference: Unilever plc is far larger — about 3.3× SYSCO Corporation's market cap, and Unilever plc pays the higher dividend (3.65%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| SYY | UL | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $40.32B | $134.06B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $91.16 | $74.59 |
52-Week Low | $69.30 | $55.05 |
Enterprise Value | $53.50B | $159.86B |
Dividend Yield | 2.61% | 3.65% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
SYY trades at $83.87, down 0.5% for the day, with a neutral technical signal and bullish moving averages. The company reported Q4 2026 EPS of $1.53, beating estimates, and revenue of $81.37B in 2025, with steady growth. Analyst consensus is a Buy with a $88.25 price target, and recent news highlights strong quarterly results and efficiency initiatives.
Outlook is positive due to earnings beats and growth initiatives, but risks include margin pressure and debt levels. The stock offers value with a P/E of 23.02 and P/S of 0.48, supported by institutional optimism, though macroeconomic uncertainty remains a concern.
Unilever (UL) trades at $62.86, down 0.16% on the day, with a bearish technical signal. The stock shows strong profitability with a net income margin of 18.75% and ROE of 53.32%, though recent quarters have seen EPS misses. Revenue declined to $50.50B in 2025, but cash flow from operations remains robust at $8.35B. News highlights include a planned $65 billion merger with McCormick's food business and strong Q2 2026 volume growth, prompting an upgraded outlook.
The outlook is mixed: valuation ratios like P/E of 20.84 are reasonable, and the merger could drive growth, but consistent earnings misses and a high P/B of 7.49 pose risks. Analyst sentiment is neutral with 51.36% hold ratings. Investors should weigh the transformative deal potential against execution risks and margin pressures in a volatile consumer goods market.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Sysco is the largest U.S. food-service distributor, boasting 17% market share of the highly fragmented food-service distribution industry. Sysco distributes over 400,000 food and nonfood products to restaurants (63% of revenue), healthcare facilities (8%), education and government buildings (8%), travel and leisure (7%), and other locations (14%) where individuals consume away-from-home meals. In fiscal 2022, 82% of the firm's revenue was U.S.-based, with 7% from Canada, 4% from the U.K., 2% from France, and 4% other.
Read more on SYY →Unilever is a diversified personal product (42% of 2021 sales by value), home care (20%), and packaged food (38%) company. Its brands include Knorr soups and sauces, Hellmann's mayonnaise, Lipton teas, Axe and Dove skin products, and the TRESemme haircare brand. The firm has been acquisitive in recent years
Read more on UL →