Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) Lowered to Hold Rating by Argus

Argus cut shares of Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning, Marketbeat reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on QSR. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on 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. TD Securities restated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on 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. Bank of America increased their price target on Restaurant Brands International from $76.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Restaurant Brands International from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $78.81.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE QSR opened at $66.38 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $64.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $68.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.94. Restaurant Brands International has a fifty-two week low of $59.67 and a fifty-two week high of $83.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.54 billion, a PE ratio of 16.64, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.93.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.29). Restaurant Brands International had a return on equity of 28.25% and a net margin of 16.01%. Equities analysts expect that Restaurant Brands International will post 3.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This is an increase from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jill Granat sold 10,613 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.41, for a total value of $747,261.33. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 388,759 shares in the company, valued at $27,372,521.19. This trade represents a 2.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Thiago T. Santelmo sold 3,511 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 32,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,114,555.40. This represents a 9.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 113,510 shares of company stock worth $7,774,020. Company insiders own 1.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Restaurant Brands International

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 294,126 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $19,114,000 after buying an additional 9,688 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its position in Restaurant Brands International by 29.5% in the 4th quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 2,981,357 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $194,069,000 after acquiring an additional 679,000 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in Restaurant Brands International by 3,356.5% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 447,035 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $29,138,000 after acquiring an additional 434,102 shares in the last quarter. Savoir Faire Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in Restaurant Brands International by 88.0% in the 4th quarter. Savoir Faire Capital Management L.P. now owns 59,693 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,891,000 after acquiring an additional 27,949 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its position in Restaurant Brands International by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 3,438 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. 82.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.