Metro Brands

** Shares of footwear retailer Metro Brands METB.NS up 2.1% at 941 rupees

** Brokerage Kotak Institutional Equities upgrades METB to "add" from "reduce", citing growth improvement for listed footwear players post after cut in GST in Sept 2025

** Kotak expects METB to continue on its mid-to-high teen revenue growth trajectory, despite some shift of festive sales from Q2 to Q3

** The brokerage attributes METB's acceleration in sports and athleisure segment to normalizing footwear imports and easing Indian regulatory hurdles

** Kotak also sees attractive long-term potential in budget-friendly footwear brand 'Walkway'

** Brokerage still lowers METB's fair value to 1,000 rupees from 1,050 rupees

** Avg rating of 21 analysts is "buy" and median PT is 1,200 rupees - data compiled by LSEG

** YTD, METB down ~22%

(Reporting by Anuran Sadhu in Bengaluru)

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** Shares of India's Metro Brands METB.NS fall as much as 5.6% to 982 rupees, their lowest level since June 12, 2026; stock last down 2.4% at 1015.70 rupees

** Footwear retailer reports June-quarter consolidated net profit declines 4.8% Y/Y to 937.9 million rupees ($9.88 million) from 985.1 million rupees a year earlier

** Consolidated revenue from operations rises 14.7% Y/Y in the quarter

** Stock rated "Buy" on average by 21 analysts; median PT is 1,250 rupees - data compiled by LSEG

** Stock down 15.9% YTD

($1 = 94.9725 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Payel Das in Bengaluru)

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Aug 4 (Reuters) - Metro Brands Ltd METB.NS:

• METRO BRANDS LTD JUNE-QUARTER CONSOL NET PROFIT 937.9 MILLION RUPEES

• METRO BRANDS LTD JUNE-QUARTER CONSOL REVENUE FROM OPERATIONS 7.2 BILLION RUPEES

Source text: [ID:]

Further company coverage: METB.NS

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** Shares of India's Metro Brands METB.NS up 4.62% to 1,091 rupees

** METB's Q4 consolidated net profit after tax rose 17.5%; revenue from ops grew around 20%

** Growth was driven by festive and wedding season demand and continued retail expansion

** Trading volume at 120,164 shares vs 30-day avg of 38,159 shares

** METB rated "buy" on avg by 21 analysts; median PT is 1,286 rupees - data compiled by LSEG

** YTD, stock down ~14%

($1 = 96.3225 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Devika Nair in Bengaluru)

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May 20 (Reuters) - Metro Brands Ltd METB.NS:

• METRO BRANDS LTD MARCH-QUARTER CONSOL NET PAT 1.17 BILLION RUPEES

• METRO BRANDS LTD MARCH-QUARTER CONSOL REVENUE FROM OPERATIONS 7.73 BILLION RUPEES

• METRO BRANDS LTD - DIVIDEND OF 3 RUPEES PER SHARE

Source text: [ID:]

Further company coverage: METB.NS

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Feb 9 (Reuters) - Footwear chain Bata India BATA.NS posted a 13% rise in its quarterly profit on Monday, helped by festive demand and consumption tax cuts by the government.

The company, which sells Hush Puppies and North Star shoes in India, posted a consolidated quarterly profit of 661 million rupees ($7.29 million) for the third quarter ended December 31, up from 587 million rupees a year earlier.

Bata's quarterly revenue rose 3% to 9.45 billion rupees, returning to growth after declines in the first two quarters.

For further highlights, click here.

KEY CONTEXT

India's government last September cut the goods and services tax on footwear priced below 2,500 rupees, supporting demand for affordable shoes.

Bata India had flagged signs of a recovery in demand during the local festive season late last year after reporting a steep profit decline in the July–September quarter, when consumers delayed purchases to wait for lower tax rates.

Peers Metro Brands METB.NS and Campus Activewear CAMU.NS also posted strong quarterly profit growth in the corresponding period.

PEER COMPARISON

* The mean of analysts' ratings standardised to a scale of Strong Buy, Buy, Hold, Sell, and Strong Sell

** The ratio of the stock's last close to analysts' mean price target; a ratio above 1 means the stock is trading above the PT

OCTOBER-DECEMBER STOCK PERFORMANCE FOR PEERS

-- All data from LSEG

-- $1 = 90.6540 Indian rupees

(Reporting by Surbhi Misra in Bengaluru and Praveen Paramasivam in Chennai; Editing by Ronojoy Mazumdar and Shreya Biswas)

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** India's Metro Brands METB.NS climbs 2.4% to 1,050.50 rupees

** METB reported a higher quarterly profit on Tuesday, with analysts expecting the footwear retailer's growth momentum to continue

** Goldman Sachs says METB's sales growth accelerated meaningfully vs recent quarters and returned to mid-teens pct growth after several quarters

** Emkay Global sees scope for margin gains driven by operating leverage from recent tech and team investments

** Brokerage maintains positive view on METB, citing strong mid-teens pct growth prospects from existing brands, new scalable partnerships (FILA, Foot Locker, Clarks) and potential upside with Metro emerging as a preferred partner for global entrants

** METB down 13% so far in January

(Reporting by Kashish Tandon in Bengaluru)

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Jan 27 (Reuters) - India's Metro Brands METB.NS on Tuesday posted a nearly 36% rise in third-quarter profit as consumption tax cuts and festive demand helped boost sales at the footwear retailer.

The company, which sells Crocs and Fila footwear in addition to its own brands, posted a consolidated quarterly profit of 1.28 billion rupees ($13.97 million) for the quarter ended December 31, up from 945.8 million rupees a year ago.

Tax cuts on footwear priced below 2,500 rupees have made products more affordable, driving a recovery in sales. Rivals Bata BATA.NS and Campus Activewear CAMU.NS are yet to report results for the quarter.

Metro's quarterly revenue rose about 15% to 8.11 billion rupees, with e-commerce sales jumping 24% during the quarter.

The company also re-appointed Chief Executive Nissan Joseph for a five-year term.

($1 = 91.6150 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Komal Salecha in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)

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Oct 16 (Reuters) - Metro Brands METB.NS missed its second-quarter profit estimates on Thursday, as footwear demand softened in anticipation of India's consumption tax cuts.

The firm, which sells Crocs and Fila besides its own brands, posted consolidated quarterly profit of 676.9 million rupees ($7.69 million), missing analysts' expectation of 822.6 million rupees, according to data compiled by LSEG.

A consumption slowdown in India's urban centers have dragged earnings for footwear retailers including rivals Bata BATA.NS and Campus Activewear CAMU.NS, which are yet to report their results.

Metro's quarterly revenue grew about 11% to 6.51 billion rupees, helped by e-commerce sales that have grown 39% from a year ago.

But analysts expect a demand boost in the second half of the year due to festivals and tax cuts. Shares of the company have risen 7% since the consumption tax cuts were announced.

Demand remains strong for products that cater to upper middle class and richer Indians, despite the dampening effect of the high cost of living on overall urban consumption.

Metro has benefited from such premiumization as 54% of sales in the first half were from footwear retailing for more than 3,000 rupees.

($1 = 87.9930 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Komal Salecha and Urvi Dugar; Editing by Sahal Muhammed)

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** Footwear makers Campus Activewear CAMU.NS, Metro Brands METB.NS, Bata India BATA.NS jump 2%-7% on govt's GST cut announcement

** For BATA, 40% of sales under 1,000 rupees to move from 12% to 5% GST, while rest mostly under 2,500 rupees, moving from 18% to 5% - Goldman Sachs

** Adds, for METB, 50% of sales under 2,500 rupees to move to 5% tax slab

** Apparel retailers Trent TREN.NS, Aditya Birla Fashion ADIA.NS, Baazar Style BAAZ.NS, Vishal Mega Mart VSSL.NS rise 2%-5%

** Trent's Zudio stores benefit as large chunk of sub-2,500 rupee apparel now taxed at 5% vs 12%

** Vishal Mega Mart gets nearly 50% revenue from apparel; Baazar Style gets 86%

(Reporting by Nandan Mandayam in Bengaluru)

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** JM Financial initiates Kalyan Jewellers KALN.NS with "buy"; sets PT at 700 rupees

** PT implies ~19% upside to current price of 586.45 rupees

** Brokerage says co developed strong brand profile, hyperlocal approach to cater to different needs of customers across India

** Adds co's franchisee model of expansion capital-efficient, enables faster store rollouts

** Notes jeweller has ample scope for further expansion as it needs 5-6 years of keeping its current pace to be on par with larger rival Titan's TITN.NS 'Tanishq' brand in terms of store count

** Says KALN's valuation remains attractive, with stock trading at discount to TITN and also other discretionary cos like Avenue Supermarts AVEU.NS and Metro Brands METB.NS

** KALN trading flat on the day

(Reporting by Ananta Agarwal in Bengaluru)

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Repeats story that ran yesterday in the Asian time zone, with no change to text

By Dhwani Pandya, Arpan Chaturvedi and Elisa Anzolin

MUMBAI/MILAN, July 2 (Reuters) - Indian footwear sellers and artisans are tapping into nationalist pride stoked by the Prada 'sandal scandal' in a bid to boost sales of ethnic slippers with history dating back to the 12th century, raising hopes of reviving a struggling craft.

Sales are surging over the past week for the 'Kolhapuri' sandals that have garnered global attention after Prada sparked a controversy by showcasing similar designs in Milan, without initially crediting the footwear's origins.

After viral photos from a fashion show drew criticism from Indian artisans who make the sandals - named after a historic city in Maharashtra state - Prada was forced to acknowledge that its new open-toe footwear was inspired by ancient Indian designs.

"Prada 0: Kolhapur 1," said an Instagram post by e-commerce website Shopkop, whose founder Rahul Parasu Kamble's open letter to Prada pointing out the footwear is "soaked in tradition" was reshared 36,000 times on social media.

"I saw the controversy as a way to promote Kolhapuri," said Kamble, 33, who has seen sales of sandals he sources from local artisans touch 50,000 rupees ($584) in three days, five times the average.

Social media has been abuzz in recent days with criticism and sarcastic memes, with politicians, artisans and a trade body demanding due credit to Indian heritage.

Prada 1913.F has said it will arrange follow-up meetings with artisans. In a statement to Reuters on Tuesday, it added the Italian group intends to make the sandals in India in collaboration with local manufacturers, if it commercialises them.

BREEZY ADS, BIG DISCOUNTS

India's luxury market is small but growing, with the rich splurging on Lamborghini cars and pricey watches. Prada does not have a single retail store in India and its products are usually reserved for the super rich - its men's leather sandals start retailing at $844, while Kolhapuris can be priced as low as $12.

But linking of the Prada name to the Kolhapuri sandals, which are made by around 7,000 artisans, is providing a business opportunity for some.

Mumbai-based Ira Soles is running new Facebook and Instagram advertisements which proclaim its $32 "Tan Handcrafted Kolhapuris just walked the ramp at Prada ... Limited stock. Global spotlight. Own a piece of what the world is applauding.".

E-commerce website Niira is offering up to 50% discounts on its Kolhapuri slippers it says are "rooted in tradition". Its sales of $18 sandals, that looked like the one Prada showcased in Milan, have tripled, founder Nishant Raut said.

"Why can't an Indian Kolhapuri brand become as big as a Birkenstock," he said.

Handmade in small factories, Kolhapuri sandals, or chappals as they are called in Hindi, are often paired with Indian attire. Similar designs are sold in big outlets of Bata India BATA.NS and Metro Brands METB.NS, and also on Amazon AMZN.O and Walmart's WMT.N Flipkart.

In 2021, India's government said the sandals could achieve $1 billion a year in exports. Though latest estimates are not available, artisans say the business has struggled as consumers increasingly opt for more fashionable, upmarket footwear.

Still, the Prada controversy is breathing new life into a craft that Lalit Gandhi, president of Maharashtra's main industry lobby group, says is "a dying art". Gandhi said he is in talks with Prada to develop a co-branded, limited-edition sandal.

Kolhapur craftsmen Ashok Doiphode, 50, is pinning hopes on a Prada boost. He hand-stitches sandals for nine hours daily but can sell a pair for just 400 rupees ($5).

"If big companies like Prada come, craftsman like me can get a good price."

(Editing by Aditya Kalra and Muralikumar Anantharaman)

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** Shares of footwear retailer Metro Brands METB.NS rise as much as 5.7% to 1214.9 rupees, last up 1.6%

** Co inks strategic partnership with British footwear brand Clarks

** Deal will mark Clarks' official comeback in Indian market, with METB having rights to sell Clarks in all offline and digital channels

** METB to also sell Clarks in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka

** METB shares, however, down ~2.7% YTD

(Reporting by Ananta Agarwal in Bengaluru)

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June 23 (Reuters) - Metro Brands Ltd METB.NS:

• METRO BRANDS LTD - ENTERS EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH CLARKS

• METRO BRANDS LTD - AGREEMENT COVERS DISTRIBUTION OF CLARKS PRODUCTS IN INDIA

• METRO BRANDS - DISTRIBUTION THROUGH MULTIPLE CHANNELS INCLUDING E-COMMERCE, RETAIL

Source text: ID:nBSE9nS4w3

Further company coverage: METB.NS

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Feb 28 (Reuters) - Metro Brands Ltd METB.NS:

• SPECIAL DIVIDEND OF 14.50 RUPEESPER SHARE

• INTERIM DIVIDEND OF 3 RUPEES PER SHARE

Source text: ID:nBSE91lGkd

Further company coverage: METB.NS

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** Shares of Metro Brands METB.NS fall ~2.5% to 1,190 rupees

** Stock set for worst week since April 5, 2024, down 5.3% so far

** Footwear retailer posted 3.3% fall in Q3 net profit, while revenue rose by ~10%

** Total expenses climbed 10%

** Analysts' avg rating on METB is "Buy" while peers Bata India BATA.NS and Campus Activewear CAMU.NS are rated "Hold" - LSEG data

** Median PT on METB is 1,300 rupees - LSEG data

** Stock fell ~4% in 2024

(Reporting by Yagnoseni Das in Bengaluru)

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Jan 16 (Reuters) - Metro Brands Ltd METB.NS:

• METRO BRANDS DEC-QUARTER CONSOL NET PAT 945.8 MILLION RUPEES

• METRO BRANDS DEC-QUARTER CONSOL REVENUE FROM OPERATIONS 7.03 BILLION RUPEES

Source text: ID:nNSE1c4CKk

Further company coverage: METB.NS

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Oct 23 (Reuters) - Metro Brands Ltd METB.NS:

• METRO BRANDS- ANTICIPATE DEMAND RECOVERY IN H2, DRIVEN BY FESTIVE, WEDDING SEASON SPENDING

Source text for Eikon: ID:nNSE7SKd2T

Further company coverage: METB.NS

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** Shares of footwear retailer Metro Brands METB.NS down ~2% to 1,319 rupees, set to snap three consecutive sessions of gains

** Co reported Q1 revenue and profit below estimates on Friday, hurt by muted demand

** Analysts' avg rating on stock is "Hold" per LSEG data, in-line with Bata India BATA.NS, Campus Activewear CAMU.NS and Relaxo Footwears RLXO.NS

** Median PT on METB is 1,208 rupees - a 10% discount to last close

** Including session's losses, METB up ~4% YTD vs 4% gain in CAMU, 14% fall in BATA and ~10% fall in RLXO

(Reporting by Manvi Pant in Bengaluru)

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Aug 9 (Reuters) - Metro Brands Ltd METB.NS:

• METRO BRANDS Q1 CONSOL NET PAT 917.3 MILLION RUPEES; IBES PROFIT EST. 999.3 MILLION RUPEES

• METRO BRANDS Q1 CONSOL REVENUE FROM OPERATIONS 5.76 BILLION RUPEES; IBES EST. 6.23 BILLION RUPEES

Source text for Eikon: [ID:]

Further company coverage: METB.NS

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Metro Brands Ltd METB.NS:

• METRO BRANDS - ENTERED INTO LONG TERM DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH NEW ERA CAP CO

Source text for Eikon: ID:nBSE4K92b9

Further company coverage: METB.NS

** Shares of Metro Brands METB.NS rise as much as 4.9% to 1,198.9 rupees, highest since March 22

** Footwear retailer beats Q4 profit estimates and reports a more than two-fold rise in profit on strong premium footwear demand

** Rev from ops up 7% Y/Y

** Fifteen analysts covering the stock on avg have a "hold" rating; median PT is 1,226 rupees - LSEG data

** Stock has gained 9% so far in May, vs a 0.4% and 0.5% dip, respectively, in rivals Bata India BATA.NS and Relaxo Footwear RLXO.NS

(Reporting by Ashna Teresa Britto in Bengaluru)

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May 22 (Reuters) - Metro Brands Ltd METB.NS:

• METRO BRANDS LTD - DIVIDEND 2.25 RUPEESPER SHARE

Source text for Eikon: [ID:]

Further company coverage: METB.NS

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Corrects last bullet to say METB down ~12% YTD, not up ~10.5%

** Metro Brands METB.NS up ~0.5% at 1,137 rupees, easing from a jump of as much as 6.2%

** Goldman Sachs starts coverage of the footwear retailer's stock with "buy" and 1,450 rupees PT

** Says Metro is better positioned to premiumisation trends than "neutral"-rated Bata India BATA.NS, whose premiumisation initiatives has not managed to revive growth yet

** Bata up 0.6% on the day

** Analysts' avg rating on both Metro and Bata is "hold" -LSEG data

** METB down ~12% YTD, while BATA is down ~16%

(Reporting by Hritam Mukherjee in Bengaluru)

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March 15 (Reuters) - Metro Brands Ltd METB.NS:

• INDIA TRIBUNAL APPROVED SCHEME OF ARRANGEMENT BETWEEN METRO ATHLEISURE AND METRO BRANDS

Further company coverage: METB.NS

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BENGALURU, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Footwear maker Bata India BATA.NS reported a third consecutive drop in its quarterly profit on Thursday, dragged by sluggish demand and higher expenses.

The lower than estimated bottomline of the company, which houses brands like Hush Puppies and Scholl, mirrors peer Metro Brands' METB.NS fourth straight drop in quarterly profit. nL4N3E833Q

Bata India's consolidated profit fell about 30% to 579.8 million rupees (nearly $7 million) in the three months to Dec. 31. Analysts had expected a profit of 1.06 billion rupees, according to LSEG data.

The shoemaker, which is in talks with Adidas ADSGn.DE for a strategic partnership, reported a marginal rise in revenue to 9.03 billion rupees from 9 billion rupees a year earlier, its slowest revenue growth since at least 2019, as per LSEG data.

Expenses rose 4.8% as the footwear retailer's inventory-related costs grew more than half on a year-on-year basis.

The company, which had established itself as a household name among Indians for its tennis shoes, said it opened 54 new franchise stores across the country in the quarter.

Shares of Bata India settled 2% lower ahead of the earnings.

($1 = 82.9669 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Yagnoseni Das in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)

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** Shares of Metro Brands Ltd METB.NS down 4.8% at ~1,155 rupees

** Footwear retailer misses third-quarter profit estimates on slowing rev growth, rising inventory costs

** METB's rev up 6.1%, it's slowest in at least a year - LSEG data

** Stock falls most since early Oct; slid 4% or lower only twice in 2023

** Management says liquidation of excess inventory to be completed by March - Motilal

** Over 112,000 shares traded, 1.3x the 30-day avg volume

** Fifteen analysts covering METB rate it "hold" on avg; median PT is 1,255 rupees - LSEG data

(Reporting by Nandan Mandayam in Bengaluru)

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BENGALURU, Jan 18 (Reuters) - India's Metro Brands METB.NS, which sells shoes from brands including Fila, Crocs and Mochi, reported its fourth straight drop in quarterly profit on Thursday, hurt by high inventory costs amid slowing sales growth.

The company's net profit fell 12.6% to 978.1 million rupees ($11.8 million) in the October-December quarter, missing analysts' estimate of 1.22 billion rupees, as per LSEG data.

The footwear retailer's inventory-related costs -- which account for about 60% of its total costs since it does not manufacture its own products -- have been steadily increasing for most of the year.

They rose 5% in the December quarter and, along with higher employee and finance costs, pushed total expenses up about 12%.

Metro Brands is the first among listed Indian footwear retailers, including Bata India BATA.NS and Relaxo Footwears RLXO.NS, to report its results.

Its revenue rose 6% to 6.36 billion rupees in the quarter, logging its slowest growth rate since the company went public in late 2021. Metro did not give details on its sales for the period.

The company opened 31 new stores in the quarter, bringing the net stores added this fiscal year to 87.

Metro Brands, recently struck a deal to operate Foot Locker FL.N stores in India, giving it access to brands such as Nike NKE.N and Adidas ADSGn.DE in a move that analysts say will further propel its growth.

Metro Brands' stock price has fallen 8.7% since that deal was announced. Shares closed up lower at about 1% ahead of the results.

($1 = 83.1060 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Navamya Ganesh Acharya and Varun Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)

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** Sales from Fila and upcoming Footlocker stores to constitute 50% of Metro Brands Ltd's METB.NS consol revenue over next 3-5 years - Motilal Oswal

** Brokerage sets street-high target of 1,530 rupees on footwear retailer; says METB's "rich" valaution backed by long-term growth scope

** METB shares up 1.5% at 1,277.7 rupees

** Motilal values Fila, Footlocker at around 160 rupees/shr

** However, Kotak Institutional Equities advises investors to "reduce," saying METB's long-term growth fully priced

** Motilal's "buy" on METB better than 15 analysts' avg rating of "hold" - LSEG data

** Stock rose 44% in 2023; rival Bata India BATA.NS was little changed

(Reporting by Nandan Mandayam)

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** Kotak Institutional Equities begins coverage of footwear retailer Metro Brands METB.NS with "reduce" rating and fair value of 1,250 rupees, 7.4% lower than current price of 1,349.4 rupees

** "While there is a lot to like, stock is fully priced" - Kotak

** Says METB's average selling price of 1,450 rupees is highest among listed players

** Expects compound annual growth rate of 18% in revenue from FY23-FY26; says store network expansion is the primary growth driver

** Mean rating of 15 analysts is "hold;" median PT is 1,231 rupees - LSEG data

** METB stock up 2.7%, taking YTD gain to 52.7%; rivals Bata India BATA.NS and Relaxo Footwear RLXO.NS up 1.2% and 0.3% this year

(Reporting by Varun Vyas)

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