Metro Inc. (TSE:MRU) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Shares of Metro Inc. (TSE:MRU - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the seven research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is C$84.25.

Several brokerages have issued reports on MRU. TD Securities raised Metro from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from C$80.00 to C$92.00 in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Metro from C$82.00 to C$85.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. National Bankshares increased their price target on Metro from C$85.00 to C$88.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Desjardins upped their price objective on Metro from C$75.00 to C$80.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Cfra lifted their target price on Metro from C$76.00 to C$85.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 15th.

Metro Price Performance

MRU stock traded down C$0.22 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching C$83.58. The company had a trading volume of 152,322 shares, compared to its average volume of 438,266. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of C$84.39 and a 200-day moving average price of C$79.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 64.18, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The company has a market capitalization of C$18.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.42, a P/E/G ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.08. Metro has a 1 year low of C$65.43 and a 1 year high of C$87.22.

Metro (TSE:MRU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 14th. The company reported C$1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of C$1.35. The firm had revenue of C$6.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of C$6.58 billion. Metro had a net margin of 4.36% and a return on equity of 13.74%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Metro will post 4.8188614 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Metro Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be given a $0.335 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 24th. This represents a $1.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.60%. Metro's dividend payout ratio is presently 32.76%.

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.