Metro (TSE:MRU) Insider Alain Tadros Sells 960 Shares

Metro Inc. (TSE:MRU) insider Alain Tadros sold 960 shares of Metro stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$90.27, for a total transaction of C$86,659.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 5,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at C$537,287.04. This represents a 13.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock.

Metro Trading Up 0.1%

TSE:MRU opened at C$90.10 on Wednesday. Metro Inc. has a 1 year low of C$86.63 and a 1 year high of C$101.30. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is C$91.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is C$92.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 71.09, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The company has a market cap of C$18.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.40, a P/E/G ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.11.

Metro (TSE:MRU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The company reported C$1.24 earnings per share for the quarter. Metro had a return on equity of 12.87% and a net margin of 4.00%.The company had revenue of C$6.97 billion during the quarter. As a group, analysts expect that Metro Inc. will post 4.8188614 EPS for the current year.

Metro Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 22nd will be given a $0.4075 dividend. This represents a $1.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 3rd. Metro’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.94%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Metro from C$111.00 to C$110.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 13th. National Bank Financial lowered their price objective on Metro from C$105.00 to C$102.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. TD lifted their price objective on Metro from C$106.00 to C$108.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. TD Securities upgraded Metro to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded Metro from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the company from C$105.00 to C$95.00 in a research report on Monday, July 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of C$102.33.

About Metro

With annual sales of more than $22 billion, METRO Inc is a food and pharmacy leader in Québec and Ontario, providing employment to more than 97,000 people. Its purpose is to Nourish the health and well-being of our communities. As a retailer, franchisor, distributor, manufacturer, and provider of eCommerce services, the company operates or services a network of some 1,000 food stores under several banners including Metro, Metro Plus, Super C, Food Basics, Adonis and Première Moisson, and some 640 pharmacies primarily under the Jean Coutu, Brunet, Metro Pharmacy and Food Basics Pharmacy banners.