Metro (TSE:MRU) Hits New 1-Year High on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Metro Inc. (TSE:MRU - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday after TD Securities raised their price target on the stock from C$99.00 to C$112.00. TD Securities currently has a buy rating on the stock. Metro traded as high as C$103.79 and last traded at C$103.76, with a volume of 312826 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at C$102.08.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. CIBC upped their price target on shares of Metro from C$91.00 to C$106.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Desjardins raised their target price on Metro from C$95.00 to C$105.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. National Bankshares upped their price target on Metro from C$102.00 to C$107.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Metro from C$90.00 to C$98.00 in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Metro from C$96.00 to C$110.00 in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of C$104.22.

Metro Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 62.29, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The company has a fifty day moving average price of C$97.13 and a 200 day moving average price of C$91.81. The stock has a market cap of C$22.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.69, a P/E/G ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.08.

Metro Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th were issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This is a boost from Metro's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 13th. Metro's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.93%.

About Metro

Metro Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as a retailer, franchisor, distributor, and manufacturer in the food and pharmaceutical sectors in Canada. The company operates supermarkets, discount, neighborhood, and specialty stores that provide fresh and grocery products, baked goods, prepared food products, meats, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, frozen food products, bakery products, delicatessen items, and pastries.