Metro (TSE:MRU) Price Target Lowered to C$105.00 at BMO Capital Markets

Key Points

• BMO Capital Markets cut its price target for Metro to C$105 (from C$110) but maintained an Outperform rating, with the new target implying roughly a 16.65% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst consensus is a Hold with an average target of C$103.63; shares traded around C$90.01, below the average target and well under the 52‑week high of C$109.20.
• Insiders sold 11,844 shares over the last quarter (reported value $1,096,119), leaving insider ownership at about 0.14%.

Metro (TSE:MRU - Get Free Report) had its target price reduced by equities researchers at BMO Capital Markets from C$110.00 to C$105.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage currently has an "outperform" rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets' target price points to a potential upside of 16.65% from the company's previous close.

Several other analysts have also commented on MRU. Desjardins lowered their price objective on shares of Metro from C$105.00 to C$99.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. TD Securities lowered 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. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Metro from C$112.00 to C$113.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reduced their target price on shares of 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, National Bank Financial reduced 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 research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Metro has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of C$103.63.

Metro Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of MRU traded down C$0.34 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching C$90.01. 241,381 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 529,125. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.33. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of C$95.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of C$96.29. Metro has a 52 week low of C$89.30 and a 52 week high of C$109.20. The company has a market cap of C$19.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.91, a PEG ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.34.

Metro (TSE:MRU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported C$1.11 earnings per share 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$5.11 billion for the quarter. On average, equities analysts forecast that Metro will post 4.8188614 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Metro

In other news, insider Dan Gabbard sold 2,978 shares of Metro stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider directly owned 12,344 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately C$1,193,294.48. The trade was a 19.44% decrease in their position. Also, insider Paolo Bravi sold 2,430 shares of Metro stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of C$91.46, for a total transaction of C$222,247.80. Following the sale, the insider directly 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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 11,844 shares of company stock valued at $1,096,119. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Metro

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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