Metro (TSE:MRU) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

Metro (TSE:MRU) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported C$0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of C$0.91, reports. The company had revenue of C$4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of C$4.63 billion. Metro had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 15.00%.

Metro Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of TSE MRU opened at C$70.95 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of C$16.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.04. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of C$72.19 and a 200 day moving average price of C$70.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 65.71, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 1.16. Metro has a 52-week low of C$65.43 and a 52-week high of C$78.88.

Metro Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.335 per share. This represents a $1.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. Metro’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRU has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. National Bankshares raised their price objective on shares of Metro from C$80.00 to C$82.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Metro from C$73.00 to C$75.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. CIBC raised their price objective on shares of Metro from C$76.00 to C$77.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on shares of Metro from C$74.50 to C$74.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Metro from C$83.00 to C$82.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of C$77.86.

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.