Vanguard Group Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Restaurant Brands International Inc. $QSR

Key Points

• Vanguard Group increased its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 2.2% in Q4 to 15,983,585 shares, representing about a 4.62% ownership valued at roughly $1.09 billion.
• Insiders have been net sellers: CEO Joshua Kobza sold 200,000 shares (~$15.01M) and another insider sold 25,000 shares, with insiders offloading 441,490 shares worth ~$32.38M over the last 90 days, leaving insiders with about 1.25% ownership.
• Dividend and results: RBI raised its quarterly dividend to $0.65 (annualized $2.60, ~3.2% yield) and reported an EPS beat ($0.96 vs. $0.93) with revenue up 7.4% YoY, while analysts hold a consensus "Moderate Buy" with a $81.83 target.

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR - Free Report) TSE: QSR by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,983,585 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 344,066 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 4.62% of Restaurant Brands International worth $1,090,684,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of QSR. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new stake in Restaurant Brands International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA bought a new stake in Restaurant Brands International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Restaurant Brands International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $48,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in Restaurant Brands International by 41.0% during the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,032 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its position in Restaurant Brands International by 45.6% during the 3rd quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,079 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 338 shares in the last quarter. 82.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jill Granat sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.09, for a total value of $1,877,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 478,845 shares in the company, valued at $35,956,471.05. The trade was a 4.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Joshua Kobza sold 200,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.05, for a total transaction of $15,010,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 960,769 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $72,105,713.45. The trade was a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 441,490 shares of company stock worth $32,375,140 over the last 90 days. 1.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $84.00 price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Barclays cut their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $86.00 to $82.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Restaurant Brands International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $68.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price target on Restaurant Brands International from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Restaurant Brands International currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $81.83.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Performance

Restaurant Brands International stock opened at $80.04 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. The company has a market capitalization of $27.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.91, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.51. The stock's 50 day moving average is $74.90 and its 200 day moving average is $70.97. Restaurant Brands International Inc. has a twelve month low of $61.33 and a twelve month high of $81.67.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR - Get Free Report) TSE: QSR last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.03. Restaurant Brands International had a net margin of 8.23% and a return on equity of 32.51%. The company had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.81 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Restaurant Brands International Inc. will post 4.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 19th were issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 19th. This is an increase from Restaurant Brands International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. Restaurant Brands International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 110.17%.

About Restaurant Brands International

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.

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