Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) Sees Strong Trading Volume After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday after Oppenheimer raised their price target on the stock from $80.00 to $85.00. Oppenheimer currently has an outperform rating on the stock. 7,372,263 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 123% from the previous session’s volume of 3,304,648 shares.The stock last traded at $74.8380 and had previously closed at $75.05.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Scotiabank lowered their price target on Restaurant Brands International from $74.00 to $71.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $83.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Restaurant Brands International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.19.

Insider Activity at Restaurant Brands International

In other Restaurant Brands International news, CFO Sami A. Siddiqui sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.51, for a total transaction of $2,980,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 35,766 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,664,924.66. This trade represents a 52.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Axel Schwan sold 34,939 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.51, for a total transaction of $2,358,731.89. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 194,984 shares in the company, valued at $13,163,369.84. This trade represents a 15.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 145,191 shares of company stock worth $10,080,956 in the last ninety days. 1.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Restaurant Brands International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of QSR. Baupost Group LLC MA boosted its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 103.8% in the third quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 8,252,862 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $529,337,000 after buying an additional 4,203,300 shares during the last quarter. Platinum Paramount Investment LTD. purchased a new position in Restaurant Brands International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $281,033,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Restaurant Brands International in the second quarter valued at approximately $254,948,000. Capital World Investors boosted its position in Restaurant Brands International by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 43,525,570 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,969,819,000 after purchasing an additional 3,095,167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 9,477.4% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,997,344 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $198,711,000 after purchasing an additional 2,966,048 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.29% of the company’s stock.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $69.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $68.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.08 billion, a PE ratio of 31.84, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 firm had revenue of $2.47 billion for 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.81 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Restaurant Brands International Inc. will post 3.72 EPS for the current year.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. 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. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 105.08%.

About Restaurant Brands International

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.