TD Cowen Increases Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) Price Target to $79.00

Key Points

• TD Cowen raised its price target on Restaurant Brands International from $76 to $79 and kept a "hold" rating, implying only about a 3.4% upside; the analyst consensus still averages a Moderate Buy with a mean target near $82.17.
• Q1 beat expectations—EPS $0.86 vs. $0.82 and revenue +7.3% YoY—and the company resumed buybacks, reiterating a plan to repurchase $500M in 2026 while guiding to 8%+ organic adjusted operating income growth.
• Despite the positives, shares slid to $76.44 amid mixed brand performance (Burger King strength but Popeyes weakness), and risks include a relatively high P/E (~32.4), elevated debt-to-equity (2.62) and notable insider selling (~441k shares, ~$32M in the past 90 days).

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR - Get Free Report) TSE: QSR had its price target upped by equities researchers at TD Cowen from $76.00 to $79.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "hold" rating on the restaurant operator's stock. TD Cowen's price target indicates a potential upside of 3.35% from the stock's previous close.

QSR has been the subject of several other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $84.00 price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $82.00 price objective on Restaurant Brands International in a research note on Friday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $83.00 to $81.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $82.17.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE QSR traded down $5.23 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $76.44. The stock had a trading volume of 3,844,604 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,336,557. The business's fifty day moving average is $75.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $71.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The company has a market cap of $26.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.44, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.53. Restaurant Brands International has a twelve month low of $61.33 and a twelve month high of $81.96.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR - Get Free Report) TSE: QSR last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The restaurant operator reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.04. Restaurant Brands International had a return on equity of 32.51% and a net margin of 8.23%.During the same period last year, the business earned $0.75 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Restaurant Brands International will post 4.05 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Restaurant Brands International

In other news, insider Jacqueline Friesner sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.61, for a total transaction of $2,238,300.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 165,727 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,364,891.47. This represents a 15.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Thiago T. Santelmo sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.41, for a total value of $754,100.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 78,560 shares in the company, valued at $5,924,209.60. The trade was a 11.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 441,490 shares of company stock valued at $32,375,140. 1.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Restaurant Brands International

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 43,525,570 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $2,969,819,000 after acquiring an additional 3,095,167 shares during the last quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 11.7% in the fourth quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 16,645,003 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $1,135,844,000 after acquiring an additional 1,741,795 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,983,585 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $1,090,684,000 after acquiring an additional 344,066 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 24.2% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,429,121 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $575,119,000 after acquiring an additional 1,641,870 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baupost Group LLC MA boosted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 103.8% in the third quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 8,252,862 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $529,337,000 after acquiring an additional 4,203,300 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.29% of the company's stock.

Restaurant Brands International News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Restaurant Brands International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat consensus—RBI reported $0.86 EPS vs. $0.82 expected and revenue rose year-over-year, showing profitable conversion of topline strength. Zacks: QSR Beats Q1
• Positive Sentiment: Company resumed share repurchases in March and reiterated a plan to repurchase $500M in 2026, and guided to 8%+ organic adjusted operating income growth—share buybacks and guidance are shareholder-friendly. PR Newswire: Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Burger King was a major driver of upside, topping same-store sales estimates and helping topline strength. Globe & Mail: BK Same-Store Sales
• Neutral Sentiment: Consolidated system-wide sales grew ~6.2% and consolidated revenue rose ~7.3% YoY; net margin and ROE remain healthy but the story is mixed across brands. MarketBeat: Q1 Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts have nudged estimates higher (Scotiabank slightly raised FY2026/27 EPS forecasts), reflecting confidence in the recovery but consensus still centers near ~$4.05 FY EPS. MarketBeat: Analyst Notes
• Negative Sentiment: Popeyes posted weaker-than-expected same-store sales, which trimmed the upside from the Burger King recovery and is a clear near-term risk for growth momentum. CNBC: Popeyes Weakness
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and leverage may be weighing on sentiment—QSR trades at a mid-30s P/E and carries elevated debt-to-equity, factors that can amplify selling after a mixed quarter. MarketBeat: Valuation & Financials

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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