Metro (TSE:MRU) Stock Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average of $70.70

Metro Inc. (TSE:MRU) shares crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of C$70.70 and traded as high as C$71.22. Metro shares last traded at C$71.06, with a volume of 340,889 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MRU shares. TD Securities boosted their target price on shares of Metro from C$76.00 to C$78.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Metro from C$77.00 to C$74.50 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Metro from C$73.00 to C$75.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. National Bankshares boosted their target price on shares of Metro from C$80.00 to C$81.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Metro from C$83.00 to C$82.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of C$77.21.

Metro Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 65.71. The stock has a market capitalization of C$16.13 billion, a PE ratio of 16.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.04. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of C$72.06 and a 200 day moving average price of C$70.69.

Metro (TSE:MRU) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported C$1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of C$0.99 by C$0.03. The company had revenue of C$4.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$4.86 billion. Metro had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 15.00%. Research analysts anticipate that Metro Inc. will post 4.2576393 earnings per share for the current year.

Metro Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 12th were issued a $0.335 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 14th. This represents a $1.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. This is an increase from Metro’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Metro’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.66%.

Metro Company Profile

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.