Metro (MRU) to Release Earnings on Wednesday

Metro (TSE:MRU) is set to issue its quarterly earnings data before the market opens on Wednesday, April 24th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of C$0.92 per share for the quarter.

Metro (TSE:MRU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported C$1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of C$0.99 by C$0.03. Metro had a return on equity of 15.00% and a net margin of 4.81%. The firm had revenue of C$4.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$4.86 billion.

Metro Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of Metro stock opened at C$69.57 on Tuesday. 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. The company’s 50 day moving average price is C$72.15 and its 200-day moving average price is C$70.62. The stock has a market capitalization of C$15.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.04.

Metro Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $0.335 per share. This is a positive change from Metro’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 14th. Metro’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRU has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. TD Securities raised their price target on Metro from C$76.00 to C$78.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Scotiabank cut their target price on shares of Metro from C$74.50 to C$74.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. National Bankshares increased their price target on shares of Metro from C$80.00 to C$81.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 15th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Metro from C$83.00 to C$82.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Metro from C$73.00 to C$75.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of C$77.14.

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.