Restaurant Brands International Inc. $QSR Shares Sold by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. trimmed its holdings in Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,522,523 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 8,242 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned 0.46% of Restaurant Brands International worth $97,659,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of QSR. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Restaurant Brands International in the first quarter valued at approximately $237,000. Savant Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Restaurant Brands International in the 2nd quarter valued at $217,000. Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Restaurant Brands International in the 2nd quarter valued at $265,000. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 1.8% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 40,618 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,693,000 after buying an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Restaurant Brands International by 8.0% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,303,726 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,015,137,000 after buying an additional 1,134,665 shares during the period. 82.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Performance

NYSE:QSR opened at $75.07 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $69.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.30. Restaurant Brands International Inc. has a 1-year low of $58.71 and a 1-year high of $75.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.81, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.56.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. Restaurant Brands International had a net margin of 8.23% and a return on equity of 32.51%. The business’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.81 EPS. Analysts forecast that Restaurant Brands International Inc. will post 3.72 EPS for the current year.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 19th will be given a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 19th. This is an increase from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 105.08%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on QSR shares. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $74.00 to $72.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $82.00 price target on Restaurant Brands International in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Argus raised Restaurant Brands International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $78.95.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Restaurant Brands International news, insider Duncan Fulton sold 10,308 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.51, for a total transaction of $695,893.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 49,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,353,694.27. This trade represents a 17.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jill Granat sold 11,525 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.51, for a total transaction of $778,052.75. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 476,126 shares in the company, valued at $32,143,266.26. This trade represents a 2.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 145,191 shares of company stock valued at $10,080,956 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.25% of the company’s stock.

Restaurant Brands International Profile

Restaurant Brands International Inc (NYSE: QSR) is a global quick-service restaurant company formed through the combination of established brands. The company’s principal holdings include Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes, each of which operates under its own brand identity and menu. Restaurant Brands International’s business is centered on developing and expanding these franchised restaurant systems, supporting franchisees with brand management, supply chain coordination, and marketing programs.

RBI’s restaurants offer a range of quick-service food and beverage products: Burger King is known for its flame-grilled hamburgers and sandwiches, Tim Hortons for coffee, baked goods and breakfast items, and Popeyes for Louisiana-style fried chicken and seafood.