Metro Inc. (TSE:MRU) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Metro Inc. (TSE:MRU) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$106.25.

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Metro from C$112.00 to C$113.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Metro from C$115.00 to C$110.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. National Bank Financial decreased their target price 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. Desjardins decreased their target price on shares of Metro from C$105.00 to C$99.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Metro from C$110.00 to C$103.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th.

Metro Stock Performance

Shares of MRU opened at C$96.62 on Wednesday. Metro has a one year low of C$89.64 and a one year high of C$109.20. The company has a 50-day moving average of C$95.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of C$96.32. The stock has a market cap of C$20.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.33, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.41.

Metro (TSE:MRU) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported C$1.16 EPS for the quarter. Metro had a net margin of 4.44% and a return on equity of 13.93%. The company had revenue of C$5.29 billion during the quarter. On average, equities research analysts expect that Metro will post 4.8188614 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Paolo Bravi sold 2,430 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owned 19,730 shares in the company, valued at approximately C$1,804,505.80. This trade represents a 10.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Also, insider Genevi�Ve Bich sold 4,418 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$91.13, for a total transaction of C$402,612.34. Following the sale, the insider owned 35,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately C$3,251,245.01. This represents a 11.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. In the last three months, insiders have sold 11,844 shares of company stock valued at $1,096,119. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Metro Company Profile

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.