12 Best Food Stocks to Buy in 2026

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3. Sysco Corporation (NYSE:SYY)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 54     

Analysts’ Upside Potential as of January 8: 20.06%    

Sysco Corporation (NYSE:SYY) is among the Best Food Stocks.

According to TheFly, on January 7, 2026, Citi reduced its price target for Sysco Corporation (NYSE:SYY) from $82 to $81. It kept a neutral rating on the stock. The revision was part of Citi’s overall 2026 projection upgrade for the food distributors category. Citi claimed that distributors have a stronger position than restaurants.

Meanwhile, Barclays confirmed its Overweight rating and increased its price objective for Sysco Corporation (NYSE:SYY) from $86 to $88 on the same day. The change was made in response to Barclays’ 2026 restaurant group outlook. The company stated that the industry is still experiencing sales difficulties. Barclays forecasts that fast-casual and casual dining styles will lose market share to quick-service restaurants. The firm stated that despite persistent industry challenges, it is still optimistic about foodservice distribution.

The stock is up by 1.11% YTD as of January 9, 2026.

The company reaffirms that it anticipates sales to increase by 3% to 5% in fiscal 2026 and that adjusted profit is projected to rise by 1% to 3% annually. Sales in the U.S. foodservice segment rose by 2.9% in the latest quarter, compared to 4.6% a year ago.

Sysco Corporation (NYSE:SYY) is the largest US foodservice distributor, accounting for 17% of the highly fragmented domestic market worth $370 billion, as per Morningstar.

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