Vanguard Group Inc. Raises Position in Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR)

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,165,498 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 421,873 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc.’s holdings in Restaurant Brands International were worth $858,101,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 68.6% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 3,181,459 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $229,545,000 after purchasing an additional 1,294,185 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of Restaurant Brands International during the third quarter worth about $89,790,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 282.6% during the third quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,465,709 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $105,707,000 after buying an additional 1,082,622 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 848.9% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 370,973 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,756,000 after acquiring an additional 331,880 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Restaurant Brands International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $19,243,000. 82.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Sami A. Siddiqui sold 12,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.12, for a total transaction of $851,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 235,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,023,731.36. This represents a 5.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Joshua Kobza sold 12,420 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.20, for a total value of $797,364.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 703,445 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,161,169. This trade represents a 1.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 300,226 shares of company stock worth $19,121,223. Company insiders own 1.36% of the company’s stock.

Restaurant Brands International Price Performance

Restaurant Brands International stock opened at $64.52 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.23. Restaurant Brands International Inc. has a 12 month low of $59.67 and a 12 month high of $79.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.12 billion, a PE ratio of 20.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.95.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.81 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%. Equities analysts predict that Restaurant Brands International Inc. will post 3.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.84%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This is a positive change from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. Restaurant Brands International’s payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on QSR. Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Barclays cut their price target on Restaurant Brands International from $83.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $81.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Guggenheim raised Restaurant Brands International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $74.00 to $71.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $77.08.

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.