Metro (TSE:MRU) Hits New 1-Year Low – Here’s Why

Shares of Metro Inc. (TSE:MRU) hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as C$87.57 and last traded at C$87.81, with a volume of 85115 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at C$89.25.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRU has been the subject of several analyst reports. TD Securities dropped their target price on Metro from C$118.00 to C$113.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce dropped their target price on Metro from C$101.00 to C$97.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Metro from C$110.00 to C$105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. National Bank Financial dropped their target price on Metro from C$106.00 to C$105.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Scotia dropped their target price on Metro from C$103.00 to C$96.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of C$103.63.

Metro Price Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of C$91.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of C$95.48. The company has a market capitalization of C$18.66 billion, a PE ratio of 18.87, a PEG ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.30.

Metro (TSE:MRU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported C$1.11 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of C$5.11 billion during the quarter. Metro had a return on equity of 14.38% and a net margin of 4.52%. Research analysts anticipate that Metro Inc. will post 4.8188614 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Metro Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.4075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $1.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Metro’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.36%.

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.