Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR - Get Free Report) TSE: QSR saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,740,000 shares, a decline of 25.9% from the March 31st total of 9,100,000 shares. Approximately 2.2% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,500,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.5 days.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of Restaurant Brands International stock traded up $0.75 on Friday, hitting $73.82. 1,306,254 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,398,663. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $76.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $74.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.78. Restaurant Brands International has a 12-month low of $61.77 and a 12-month high of $83.29. The company has a market cap of $23.36 billion, a PE ratio of 19.58, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.91.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR - Get Free Report) TSE: QSR last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.02. Restaurant Brands International had a net margin of 16.95% and a return on equity of 32.20%. The business had revenue of $1.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.72 EPS. Restaurant Brands International's revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Restaurant Brands International will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 21st were issued a dividend of $0.58 per share. This is a boost from Restaurant Brands International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 20th. Restaurant Brands International's payout ratio is currently 61.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

QSR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $91.00 to $90.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $88.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $85.00 to $84.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $81.00 to $78.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $89.00 to $87.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $82.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Restaurant Brands International

In other news, insider Jill Granat sold 23,322 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.55, for a total transaction of $1,761,977.10. Following the sale, the insider now owns 406,860 shares of the company's stock, valued at $30,738,273. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider David Chan Shear sold 17,556 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.26, for a total transaction of $1,338,820.56. Following the sale, the insider now owns 210,535 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,055,399.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jill Granat sold 23,322 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.55, for a total value of $1,761,977.10. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 406,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,738,273. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 380,200 shares of company stock worth $28,828,182 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.25% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Restaurant Brands International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of QSR. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 49.6% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 179,931 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $14,127,000 after purchasing an additional 59,627 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International in the 4th quarter valued at $3,703,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 248,359.5% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 91,930 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $7,182,000 after purchasing an additional 91,893 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International in the 3rd quarter valued at $5,619,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,781,047 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $784,853,000 after purchasing an additional 203,594 shares during the last quarter. 82.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.