Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) Rating Increased to Buy at Guggenheim

Guggenheim upgraded shares of Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has $71.00 price objective on the restaurant operator’s stock, down from their prior price objective of $74.00.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on QSR. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $93.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $86.00 to $77.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. CIBC decreased their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an “outperformer” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Restaurant Brands International from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.96.

Restaurant Brands International Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of QSR stock opened at $62.09 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $66.06 and a 200-day moving average of $68.84. Restaurant Brands International has a 52-week low of $59.85 and a 52-week high of $83.29. The stock has a market cap of $20.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.94.

Restaurant Brands International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th were paid a $0.58 dividend. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 20th. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Restaurant Brands International

In other news, insider Thiago T. Santelmo sold 3,511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.20, for a total transaction of $225,406.20. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 32,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,114,555.40. This trade represents a 9.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jill Granat sold 10,613 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.41, for a total value of $747,261.33. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 388,759 shares in the company, valued at $27,372,521.19. This represents a 2.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 113,510 shares of company stock worth $7,774,020 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Restaurant Brands International

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of QSR. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 79.4% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 418 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Restaurant Brands International during the 3rd quarter worth $61,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 74.8% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,325 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $86,000 after buying an additional 567 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 123.9% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,388 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $98,000 after acquiring an additional 768 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 67.0% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,754 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 704 shares during the last quarter. 82.29% of the stock is currently owned by 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.