Metro Inc. (TSE:MRU) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating on Metro, with seven holds and one strong-buy recommendation. The average 12-month price target is C$102.38.
• Recent analyst actions were mixed: TD Securities upgraded Metro to “strong buy,” while BMO, Scotia and Desjardins lowered their ratings or price targets; current targets range around C$95–C$105.
• Metro shares opened at C$89.81, near their one-year low of C$86.63, while the company continues to pay a quarterly dividend of C$0.4075 per share, representing a 1.8% yield.

Shares of Metro Inc. (TSE:MRU - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is C$102.38.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MRU shares. TD Securities upgraded shares of Metro to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. National Bank Financial set a C$105.00 price objective on shares of Metro and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Scotia lowered their target price on shares of Metro from C$103.00 to C$96.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Desjardins cut their target price on shares of Metro from C$99.00 to C$97.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Metro from an "outperform" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from C$105.00 to C$95.00 in a research report on Monday, July 20th.

Metro Price Performance

Shares of MRU opened at C$89.81 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.30. Metro has a 1 year low of C$86.63 and a 1 year high of C$106.32. The stock has a market cap of C$18.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.18. The stock's 50-day moving average price is C$92.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is C$93.05.

Metro Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.4075 per share. This represents a $1.63 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 13th. Metro's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.36%.

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.

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