Brokerages Set Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) Price Target at $77.96

Shares of Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-five brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have given a hold recommendation and thirteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $77.96.

QSR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Guggenheim upgraded Restaurant Brands International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $74.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $86.00 to $77.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. KeyCorp reduced their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $80.00 to $78.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, TD Cowen downgraded Restaurant Brands International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, February 14th.

Restaurant Brands International Price Performance

Restaurant Brands International stock opened at $63.72 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $63.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $67.65. The stock has a market cap of $20.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.93. Restaurant Brands International has a 12-month low of $59.67 and a 12-month high of $83.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.29). Restaurant Brands International had a return on equity of 28.53% and a net margin of 12.15%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Restaurant Brands International will post 3.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.89%. This is a positive change from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 77.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Restaurant Brands International

In other Restaurant Brands International news, insider Duncan Fulton sold 15,974 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.48, for a total value of $998,055.52. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,827,095.04. The trade was a 26.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Joshua Kobza sold 93,619 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.35, for a total transaction of $5,837,144.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 848,578 shares in the company, valued at $52,908,838.30. This represents a 9.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 241,580 shares of company stock worth $15,761,261 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.36% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Restaurant Brands International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of QSR. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Restaurant Brands International in the fourth quarter worth $264,813,000. Meritage Group LP grew its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 5,795.9% during 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. Baupost Group LLC MA grew 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 valued at $189,133,000 after buying an additional 2,873,406 shares during the last quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 26.6% during the fourth quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 12,819,570 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $834,478,000 after buying an additional 2,695,071 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 68.6% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 3,181,459 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $229,545,000 after buying an additional 1,294,185 shares during the last quarter. 82.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.