Metro Inc. (TSE:MRU) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Metro Inc. (TSE:MRU) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$106.25.

MRU has been the subject of several analyst reports. TD Securities cut their target price on Metro from C$118.00 to C$113.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on Metro from C$115.00 to C$110.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted 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 research note on Friday, January 23rd. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce dropped their target price on shares of Metro from C$105.00 to C$101.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, National Bank Financial cut their price target on shares of Metro from C$107.00 to C$106.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th.

Metro Stock Performance

TSE MRU opened at C$97.31 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of C$20.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.53, a PEG ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.13. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is C$97.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$97.21. Metro has a twelve month low of C$89.64 and a twelve month high of C$109.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 62.29.

Metro (TSE:MRU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported C$1.16 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of C$5.29 billion during the quarter. Metro had a net margin of 4.50% and a return on equity of 13.80%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Metro will post 4.8188614 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Paolo Bravi sold 2,430 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was 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 directly 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. Also, insider Genevi�Ve Bich sold 4,418 shares of Metro stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$91.13, for a total value of C$402,612.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 35,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately C$3,251,245.01. The trade was a 11.02% decrease in their position. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 11,844 shares of company stock worth $1,096,119. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by 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.