Metro Inc. (TSE:MRU) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Consensus "Hold": Seven analysts give Metro a consensus rating of "Hold" (4 Hold, 3 Buy) with an average 1‑year target of C$106.25 and recent price‑target adjustments in the C$99–C$113 range.
• Fundamentals and insider selling: Metro opened at C$95.02 (market cap C$20.25B, P/E 21.02) after reporting Q EPS of C$1.16 on C$5.29B revenue, and insiders sold 11,844 shares in the past 90 days, modestly reducing their ownership.

Metro Inc. (TSE:MRU - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the seven brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is C$106.25.

A number of analysts have weighed in on MRU shares. Desjardins reduced their price target on Metro from C$105.00 to C$99.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective 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. TD Securities cut their price objective on Metro from C$118.00 to C$113.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Scotiabank reduced their target price on Metro from C$110.00 to C$103.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, National Bank Financial decreased their target price on Metro from C$107.00 to C$106.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th.

Metro Stock Up 1.5%

Metro stock opened at C$95.02 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.33. Metro has a 1-year low of C$89.64 and a 1-year high of C$109.20. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is C$96.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$96.45. The company has a market capitalization of C$20.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.02, a P/E/G ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.31.

Metro (TSE:MRU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported C$1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of C$5.29 billion during the quarter. Metro had a net margin of 4.44% and a return on equity of 13.93%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Metro will post 4.8188614 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Richard Pruneau sold 2,018 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$90.87, for a total value of C$183,375.66. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 12,433 shares in the company, valued at approximately C$1,129,786.71. The trade was a 13.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Also, insider Genevi�Ve Bich sold 4,418 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 directly 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 ninety days, insiders sold 11,844 shares of company stock worth $1,096,119. 0.14% of the stock is 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.

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