Metro (TSE:MRU) Cut to “Hold” at Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Metro (TSE:MRU) from a moderate buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. CIBC upped their target price on shares of Metro from C$86.00 to C$91.00 in a research note on Thursday. National Bankshares upped their price objective on Metro from C$85.00 to C$88.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Cfra lifted their target price on Metro from C$76.00 to C$85.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Metro from C$82.00 to C$85.00 in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Desjardins raised their price objective on Metro from C$85.00 to C$95.00 in a research note on Friday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of C$87.50.

Metro Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of TSE:MRU opened at C$89.73 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of C$19.97 billion, a PE ratio of 21.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.08. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of C$84.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of C$80.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 64.18. Metro has a 12-month low of C$65.43 and a 12-month high of C$90.72.

Metro Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th were paid a dividend of $0.335 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 24th. This represents a $1.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. Metro’s payout ratio is currently 32.76%.

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.