Metro Inc. (TSE:MRU) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Metro Inc. (TSE:MRU) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the eight research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$103.63.

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Metro from C$112.00 to C$113.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Metro from C$110.00 to C$105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Scotiabank downgraded shares of Metro from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a C$103.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce dropped their target price on shares of Metro from C$101.00 to C$97.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Desjardins dropped their target price on shares of Metro from C$99.00 to C$97.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd.

Metro Stock Up 0.1%

Metro stock opened at C$91.16 on Friday. Metro has a fifty-two week low of C$89.13 and a fifty-two week high of C$109.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.30, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 1.43. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of C$94.47 and a 200 day moving average price of C$96.20. The company has a market capitalization of C$19.23 billion, a PE ratio of 19.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.34.

Metro (TSE:MRU) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported C$1.11 earnings per share for the quarter. Metro had a net margin of 4.52% and a return on equity of 14.38%. The firm had revenue of C$5.11 billion during the quarter. Research analysts expect that Metro will post 4.8188614 earnings per share for the current year.

Metro Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 2nd will be issued a $0.4075 dividend. This represents a $1.63 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 13th. Metro’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.36%.

Insider Activity at Metro

In related news, insider Dan Gabbard sold 2,978 shares of Metro stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$96.67, for a total value of C$287,883.26. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 12,344 shares in the company, valued at approximately C$1,193,294.48. This trade represents a 19.44% decrease in their position. Also, insider Paolo Bravi sold 2,430 shares of Metro stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of C$91.46, for a total transaction of C$222,247.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 19,730 shares of the company’s stock, valued at C$1,804,505.80. This trade represents a 10.97% decrease in their position. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Metro

Metro is one of the largest grocery retailers in Canada. With its 2018 acquisition of Jean Coutu, it also boasts a meaningful drugstore footprint. Noteworthy grocery banners include Metro, Metro Plus, Super C, and Food Basics, while its pharmacies primarily operate under the Jean Coutu and Brunet trademarks. It utilizes an array of business models, but it most frequently acts as either a retailer, operating individual stores, or a franchiser, licensing its trademarks and supplying merchandise to franchisees.