Metro (TSE:MRU) Share Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Metro Inc. (TSE:MRU) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$97.39 and traded as high as C$97.53. Metro shares last traded at C$97.31, with a volume of 389,685 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRU has been the subject of several analyst reports. National Bank Financial cut their target price on Metro from C$107.00 to C$106.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Scotiabank cut their price objective on Metro from C$110.00 to C$103.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Metro from C$112.00 to C$113.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. TD Securities cut their price target on shares of Metro from C$118.00 to C$113.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Desjardins reduced their price target on shares of Metro from C$105.00 to C$99.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of C$106.25.

Metro Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of C$97.36 and a 200-day moving average of C$97.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 62.29. The firm has a market capitalization of C$20.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.53, a PEG ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.13.

Metro (TSE:MRU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported C$1.16 EPS for the quarter. Metro had a net margin of 4.50% and a return on equity of 13.80%. The firm had revenue of C$5.29 billion for the quarter. Equities analysts predict that Metro Inc. will post 4.8188614 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Metro

In other news, insider Richard Pruneau sold 2,018 shares of Metro stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$90.87, for a total value of C$183,375.66. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 12,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately C$1,129,786.71. This trade represents a 13.96% decrease in their position. Also, insider Genevi�Ve Bich sold 4,418 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$91.13, for a total value of C$402,612.34. Following the sale, the insider owned 35,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately C$3,251,245.01. The trade was a 11.02% decrease in their position. Insiders sold a total of 8,866 shares of company stock valued at $808,236 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

About Metro

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.