** 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)

((Kashish.tandon@thomsonreuters.com))