Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have given a hold recommendation and twelve have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $75.91.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on QSR shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Restaurant Brands International from $69.00 to $66.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. CIBC decreased their price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an “outperformer” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $72.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Restaurant Brands International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th.

Restaurant Brands International Trading Down 0.7%

Restaurant Brands International stock opened at $69.30 on Wednesday. Restaurant Brands International has a 1 year low of $58.71 and a 1 year high of $75.07. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $66.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market cap of $22.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.79, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.61.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The restaurant operator reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $2.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.17 billion. Restaurant Brands International had a return on equity of 28.53% and a net margin of 12.15%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.73 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Restaurant Brands International will post 3.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Restaurant Brands International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 24th will be issued a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 24th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.58%. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 84.07%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Restaurant Brands International

In other Restaurant Brands International news, insider Jacqueline Friesner sold 70,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.08, for a total transaction of $4,905,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 182,897 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,817,421.76. The trade was a 27.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Sami A. Siddiqui sold 12,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.12, for a total transaction of $851,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 235,228 shares in the company, valued at $16,023,731.36. The trade was a 5.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.36% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Restaurant Brands International

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Restaurant Brands International during the 4th quarter worth about $264,813,000. Davis Selected Advisers acquired a new stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International during the first quarter worth about $224,744,000. Meritage Group LP boosted its position in Restaurant Brands International by 5,795.9% in the fourth quarter. Meritage Group LP now owns 3,301,689 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $215,204,000 after buying an additional 3,245,689 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 16.7% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 22,626,635 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,507,839,000 after buying an additional 3,230,735 shares during the period. Finally, Baupost Group LLC MA raised its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 10,155.5% during the fourth quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 2,901,700 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $189,133,000 after purchasing an additional 2,873,406 shares during the last quarter. 82.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Restaurant Brands International

Restaurant Brands International Inc operates as a quick-service restaurant company in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Tim Hortons (TH), Burger King (BK), Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (PLK), and Firehouse Subs (FHS). The company owns and franchises TH chain of donut/coffee/tea restaurants that offer blend coffee, tea, and espresso-based hot and cold specialty drinks; and fresh baked goods, including donuts, Timbits, bagels, muffins, cookies and pastries, grilled paninis, classic sandwiches, wraps, soups, and other food products.