Guggenheim Issues Positive Forecast for Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) Stock Price

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) had its target price raised by Guggenheim from $71.00 to $77.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. Guggenheim currently has a buy rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

QSR has been the subject of several other reports. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $81.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus cut 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $80.00 to $78.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced 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. Finally, Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.33.

Restaurant Brands International Price Performance

Shares of QSR opened at $63.61 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $65.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.14. The company has a market capitalization of $20.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.72. Restaurant Brands International has a fifty-two week low of $59.67 and a fifty-two week high of $77.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.02.

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

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st were given a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 21st. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.90%. This is a boost from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.99%.

Insider Activity at Restaurant Brands International

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in QSR. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 43,418,188 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,829,974,000 after buying an additional 841,167 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,165,498 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $858,101,000 after acquiring an additional 421,873 shares in the last quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. increased its position 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 worth $834,478,000 after acquiring an additional 2,695,071 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International in the fourth quarter valued at $264,813,000. Finally, Meritage Group LP boosted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 5,795.9% in the fourth quarter. Meritage Group LP now owns 3,301,689 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $215,204,000 after purchasing an additional 3,245,689 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.29% of the company’s stock.

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.