What is Zacks Research’s Forecast for QSR Q1 Earnings?

Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) – Analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Restaurant Brands International in a note issued to investors on Thursday, February 26th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the restaurant operator will earn $0.82 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.79. The consensus estimate for Restaurant Brands International’s current full-year earnings is $3.72 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Restaurant Brands International’s Q2 2026 earnings at $1.04 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.05 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.97 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.91 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.20 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.05 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.09 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $4.25 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $4.58 EPS.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. Restaurant Brands International had a return on equity of 32.51% and a net margin of 8.23%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.81 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on QSR. Piper Sandler raised Restaurant Brands International from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $71.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Monday. Scotiabank dropped their target price on shares of 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. Morgan Stanley upped their price target 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. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $74.00 to $72.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $78.95.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Performance

NYSE:QSR opened at $72.01 on Monday. Restaurant Brands International has a twelve month low of $58.71 and a twelve month high of $73.70. The company has a 50-day moving average of $68.69 and a 200-day moving average of $67.65. The firm has a market cap of $24.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62.

Institutional Trading of Restaurant Brands International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in QSR. Intact Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 10.6% in the third quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. now owns 759,391 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $48,722,000 after acquiring an additional 72,800 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 23,154.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 39,532 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,535,000 after purchasing an additional 39,362 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S. acquired a new position in shares of Restaurant Brands International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,214,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 51.4% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 196,100 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $12,578,000 after buying an additional 66,600 shares during the period. Finally, Cidel Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 688,129 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $44,154,000 after buying an additional 18,446 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Peter Perdue sold 3,882 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.51, for a total transaction of $262,073.82. Following the transaction, the insider owned 42,906 shares in the company, valued at $2,896,584.06. This represents a 8.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jill Granat sold 11,525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.51, for a total transaction of $778,052.75. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 476,126 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,143,266.26. This represents a 2.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 186,401 shares of company stock worth $12,857,069 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.25% of the company’s stock.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. 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 is presently 105.08%.

More Restaurant Brands International News

Here are the key news stories impacting Restaurant Brands International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target to $87 from $83 and maintains a “buy” rating, implying roughly 20.8% upside from the current price — a strong catalyst for upside expectations. Truist Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada lifted its target to $83 and kept an “outperform” rating, signaling about 15% potential upside and reinforcing analyst optimism on growth/earnings. RBC Raise Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: AmericanBankingNews reports a price target raise to $80 (coverage note), adding to the cluster of upward revisions that lift consensus targets. Price Target Raised to $80
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley nudged its target to $78 and kept an “equal weight” rating (smaller uplift), which still supports the overall upward re‑rating of the stock. Morgan Stanley Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published a bullish forecast for QSR’s Q1 earnings, which reinforces the analyst-driven optimism and could validate the higher targets if results meet or beat estimates. Zacks Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: An investor piece on The Motley Fool framed the stock as a top long‑term holding (buy‑and‑hold endorsement), which can help retail demand and sentiment. Fool Feature

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.