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. The company distributes frozen food, such as meat, seafood, fully prepared entrées, fruits, …
Full SYY analysis →
Competitive advantage assessment
Key strengths
Margins Consistently Above PeersGross margin at 18.5% (top 25%) and operating margin at 3.7% (top 17%) indicate strong pricing power.
Margins Stable Across CyclesOperating margin volatility is low (stability score 0.92), demonstrating pricing resilience across cycles.
The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks
against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.
Upgrade to unlock the signals and evidence behind each defense.
Premium access
Unlock full defense analysis
Get key signals, strengths, and risks for every moat dimension.
Sysco Corporation ranks #2 of 14
scored companies in Food Distribution by moat score — the top 14%.
The widest moat in the group is G. Willi-Food International, L (WILC)
at 75/100.
Moat scores for companies ranked near SYY in Food Distribution
Pricing power is the ability to raise prices without losing volume.
Cost Advantage
Score 83
· 15% of the moat score
A cost advantage means delivering the same product for structurally less — better purchasing, denser distribution, a more automated process.
Customer Stickiness
Score 62
· 15% of the moat score
Stickiness is what makes revenue repeat without being re-won every year.
Capital Efficiency
Score 61
· 18% of the moat score
Capital efficiency asks what the company earns on the money tied up in the business.
Resilience
Score 55
· 17% of the moat score
Resilience is the capacity to get through a bad year on its own terms — enough liquidity, enough interest cover, and enough cash generation to avoid a rescue financing or a forced sale.
Scale & Market Position
Score 61
· 15% of the moat score
Scale matters only when it converts into economics.
Sysco Corporation (SYY) scores 67 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as moderate. It ranks #2 of 14 scored companies in Food Distribution, the top 14%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 13 companies in Food Distribution. Its strongest defense is Cost Advantage (83/100) and its weakest is Resilience (55/100).
How does Sysco Corporation compare with other Food Distribution companies?
Sysco Corporation ranks #2 of 14 scored companies in Food Distribution by moat score. The widest moat in Food Distribution is G. Willi-Food International, L (WILC) at 75/100. The companies ranked closest are G. Willi-Food International, L (WILC) at 75 just above it and US Foods Holding Corp. (USFD) at 66 just below it.
How is the moat score calculated?
Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Corporate Default in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 13 companies in Food Distribution. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.
Why is Sysco Corporation scored with the Corporate Default template?
Most public companies sell a product or a service at a margin, so the moat question is whether that margin survives contact with competitors. The Corporate template scores the six defenses that show up in a general operating company's financial signature: whether it can hold price, produce more cheaply than rivals, keep its customers, earn a return above its cost of capital, withstand a downturn, and turn size into economics.
Which competitive defenses are measured for Sysco Corporation?
The Corporate Default template measures 6 defenses, and SYY scores: Pricing Power (83), Cost Advantage (83), Customer Stickiness (62), Capital Efficiency (61), Resilience (55), Scale & Market Position (61). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.
We value your privacy
We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze site traffic, and personalize content. By clicking 'Accept All', you consent to our use of cookies.
Read our cookie policy
Cookie Preferences
Manage your cookie preferences. Essential cookies are always enabled.