Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Boosts Holdings in Restaurant Brands International Inc. $QSR

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) by 937.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 262,765 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 237,444 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Restaurant Brands International were worth $17,787,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in QSR. Baupost Group LLC MA lifted its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 103.8% in the 3rd quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 8,252,862 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $529,337,000 after acquiring an additional 4,203,300 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Restaurant Brands International during the 2nd quarter valued at about $254,948,000. State Street Corp raised its position in Restaurant Brands International by 9,477.4% in 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. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. raised its position in Restaurant Brands International by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 14,903,208 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $955,855,000 after purchasing an additional 1,983,354 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 56.4% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 2,855,081 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $189,510,000 after purchasing an additional 1,029,500 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Restaurant Brands International

In related news, CEO Joshua Kobza sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.05, for a total value of $15,010,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 960,769 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $72,105,713.45. This represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jill Granat sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.09, for a total transaction of $1,877,250.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 478,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,956,471.05. The trade was a 4.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 455,191 shares of company stock worth $33,299,206. Insiders own 1.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on QSR shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised Restaurant Brands International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $68.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Argus raised Restaurant Brands International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $74.00 to $72.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Scotiabank cut their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $74.00 to $71.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $79.19.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:QSR opened at $72.92 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $70.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.98. Restaurant Brands International Inc. has a one year low of $58.71 and a one year high of $75.67. The firm has a market cap of $25.31 billion, a PE ratio of 30.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.03. Restaurant Brands International had a return on equity of 32.51% and a net margin of 8.23%.The firm had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.81 earnings per share. Restaurant Brands International’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 19th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 19th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. This is a positive change from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 110.17%.

Restaurant Brands International Company 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.