Short Interest in Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) Increases By 23.3%

Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 10,540,000 shares, an increase of 23.3% from the February 28th total of 8,550,000 shares. Currently, 3.3% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 2,080,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.1 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Restaurant Brands International

In other news, insider Duncan Fulton sold 27,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.66, for a total value of $1,778,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 34,822 shares in the company, valued at $2,251,590.52. This represents a 44.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Sami A. Siddiqui sold 12,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.12, for a total transaction of $851,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 235,228 shares in the company, valued at $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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 300,226 shares of company stock valued at $19,121,223. Company insiders own 1.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Restaurant Brands International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $264,813,000. Meritage Group LP grew its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 5,795.9% in the fourth quarter. Meritage Group LP now owns 3,301,689 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $215,204,000 after purchasing an additional 3,245,689 shares during the last quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA grew its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 10,155.5% in the fourth quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 2,901,700 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $189,133,000 after purchasing an additional 2,873,406 shares during the last quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. increased its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 26.6% in the fourth quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 12,819,570 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $834,478,000 after purchasing an additional 2,695,071 shares during the period. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in Restaurant Brands International by 68.6% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 3,181,459 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $229,545,000 after purchasing an additional 1,294,185 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

QSR has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Loop Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $83.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $86.00 to $77.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $80.00 to $78.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $77.08.

Restaurant Brands International Price Performance

Restaurant Brands International stock traded down $0.23 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $66.94. 1,433,778 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,779,421. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75. Restaurant Brands International has a twelve month low of $59.67 and a twelve month high of $78.00. The company has a market cap of $21.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.72. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $65.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.18.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.29). Restaurant Brands International had a net margin of 12.15% and a return on equity of 28.53%. Equities analysts expect that Restaurant Brands International will post 3.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This is an increase from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.70%. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 77.99%.

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.