Short Interest in Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) Declines By 34.6%

Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR - Get Free Report) TSE: QSR saw a large drop in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,190,000 shares, a drop of 34.6% from the March 31st total of 12,530,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,330,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.5 days. Approximately 2.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on QSR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $80.00 to $78.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $71.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Loop Capital reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $72.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, TD Cowen downgraded shares of Restaurant Brands International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $75.27.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Up 0.5 %

QSR stock traded up $0.36 during trading on Monday, hitting $66.98. 467,626 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,838,773. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.06, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.60. Restaurant Brands International has a 1 year low of $58.71 and a 1 year high of $76.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $65.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $65.88.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR - Get Free Report) TSE: QSR last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.29). Restaurant Brands International had a net margin of 12.15% and a return on equity of 28.53%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Restaurant Brands International will post 3.72 EPS for the current year.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st were issued a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 21st. 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 3.70%. Restaurant Brands International's payout ratio is currently 77.99%.

Insider Activity at Restaurant Brands International

In other news, CEO Joshua Kobza sold 93,619 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.35, for a total value of $5,837,144.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 848,578 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $52,908,838.30. This represents a 9.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Sami A. Siddiqui sold 12,500 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.12, for a total value of $851,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 235,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,023,731.36. This represents a 5.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 278,716 shares of company stock valued at $17,740,281 in the last 90 days. 1.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Restaurant Brands International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 3,137 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $204,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC increased its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 2,487 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $162,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 14,034 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $915,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. Capital Analysts LLC increased its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 952 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC raised its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 400 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 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.