Analysts Set Metro Inc. (TSE:MRU) Price Target at C$106.25

Metro Inc. (TSE:MRU) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the stock, 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 brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$106.25.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Desjardins lowered their price target on Metro from C$105.00 to C$99.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Metro from C$112.00 to C$113.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Scotiabank dropped their price target on Metro from C$110.00 to C$103.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce cut their price target on Metro from C$105.00 to C$101.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, TD Securities decreased their price objective on shares of Metro from C$118.00 to C$113.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th.

Metro Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of TSE MRU opened at C$98.43 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of C$20.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.13. Metro has a 52 week low of C$89.64 and a 52 week high of C$109.20. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of C$97.26 and a 200 day moving average price of C$97.18. 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 issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported C$1.16 earnings per share for the quarter. Metro had a net margin of 4.50% and a return on equity of 13.80%. The company had revenue of C$5.29 billion for the quarter. Equities research analysts anticipate that Metro will post 4.8188614 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Metro

In other news, insider Dan Gabbard sold 2,978 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction of C$287,883.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 12,344 shares of the company’s stock, valued at 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 stock was sold at an average price of C$91.46, for a total value of C$222,247.80. Following the transaction, the insider owned 19,730 shares of the company’s stock, valued at C$1,804,505.80. This represents a 10.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Insiders sold 11,844 shares of company stock worth $1,096,119 over the last ninety days. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.