Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) Upgraded by Guggenheim to Buy Rating

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

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $82.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of 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. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $80.00 to $78.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Argus dropped their target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $93.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.96.

Restaurant Brands International Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of Restaurant Brands International stock opened at $62.09 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $66.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $68.89. The company has a market capitalization of $20.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.56, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.94. Restaurant Brands International has a 12-month low of $59.85 and a 12-month high of $83.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75.

Restaurant Brands International Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Sami A. Siddiqui sold 5,579 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.20, for a total transaction of $358,171.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 27,266 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,750,477.20. The trade was a 16.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Thiago T. Santelmo sold 3,511 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.20, for a total transaction of $225,406.20. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 32,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,114,555.40. The trade was a 9.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 113,510 shares of company stock worth $7,774,020. Company insiders own 1.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Restaurant Brands International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of QSR. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 650,486 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $45,772,000 after purchasing an additional 10,855 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 11,264 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $793,000 after buying an additional 395 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 13.3% during the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,193 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $577,000 after purchasing an additional 960 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Restaurant Brands International during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,958,000. Finally, APG Asset Management N.V. grew its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 191.8% in the 2nd quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 38,034 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,499,000 after buying an additional 25,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.