Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) Sets New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) shares reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $77.47 and last traded at $77.6170, with a volume of 137399 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $76.58.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

QSR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $80.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Restaurant Brands International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $82.00 target price on Restaurant Brands International in a report on Friday, February 13th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $79.19.

Restaurant Brands International Trading Up 1.3%

The firm’s 50-day moving average is $71.02 and its 200-day moving average is $69.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. The firm has a market cap of $26.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.51.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. Restaurant Brands International had a net margin of 8.23% and a return on equity of 32.51%. The business’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.81 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Restaurant Brands International Inc. will post 3.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 19th were issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. This is a boost from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 19th. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 110.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Restaurant Brands International news, CFO Sami A. Siddiqui sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.51, for a total value of $2,980,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 35,766 shares in the company, valued at $2,664,924.66. This represents a 52.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Thiago T. Santelmo sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.41, for a total value of $754,100.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 78,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,924,209.60. This represents a 11.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 455,191 shares of company stock worth $33,299,206 in the last ninety days. 1.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Restaurant Brands International

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in QSR. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new stake in Restaurant Brands International during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 1,922.2% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 364 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 346 shares during the period. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA purchased a new stake in Restaurant Brands International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new stake in Restaurant Brands International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC bought a new position in Restaurant Brands International in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. 82.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Restaurant Brands International Company Profile

Restaurant Brands International Inc (NYSE: QSR) is a global quick-service restaurant company formed through the combination of established brands. The company’s principal holdings include Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes, each of which operates under its own brand identity and menu. Restaurant Brands International’s business is centered on developing and expanding these franchised restaurant systems, supporting franchisees with brand management, supply chain coordination, and marketing programs.

RBI’s restaurants offer a range of quick-service food and beverage products: Burger King is known for its flame-grilled hamburgers and sandwiches, Tim Hortons for coffee, baked goods and breakfast items, and Popeyes for Louisiana-style fried chicken and seafood.