Principal Securities Inc. Buys 4,245 Shares of Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR)

Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) by 86.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 9,143 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,245 shares during the quarter. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Restaurant Brands International were worth $596,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fiera Capital Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 3,744,620 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $270,554,000 after acquiring an additional 227,203 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,294,185 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,969,582 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $215,448,000 after acquiring an additional 118,721 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 2,207,251 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $159,251,000 after acquiring an additional 307,791 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canoe Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 2,028,349 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $144,675,000 after acquiring an additional 139,335 shares during the last quarter. 82.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Restaurant Brands International news, insider Thiago T. Santelmo sold 3,511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.20, for a total value of $225,406.20. Following the sale, the insider now owns 32,937 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,114,555.40. This represents a 9.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jill Granat sold 10,613 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.41, for a total transaction of $747,261.33. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 388,759 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,372,521.19. This trade represents a 2.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 113,510 shares of company stock worth $7,774,020. 1.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Restaurant Brands International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE QSR opened at $62.26 on Friday. Restaurant Brands International Inc. has a 1 year low of $59.67 and a 1 year high of $83.29. 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 company’s 50-day moving average is $63.78 and its 200 day moving average is $67.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.93.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.29). Restaurant Brands International had a net margin of 12.15% and a return on equity of 28.53%. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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 3.98%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This is a boost from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio is 72.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Argus downgraded shares of Restaurant Brands International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $81.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, KeyCorp lowered their price target on shares of 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $77.96.

Restaurant Brands International Company Profile

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.