Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) Short Interest Down 37.0% in August

Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) was the target of a large decline in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 8,860,000 shares, a decline of 37.0% from the August 15th total of 14,070,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,680,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.3 days. Currently, 2.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Restaurant Brands International from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a report on Thursday, June 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $80.00 price target for the company. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $83.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Thomas Benjamin Curtis sold 6,536 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.63, for a total transaction of $448,565.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 37,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,551,594.77. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Thomas Benjamin Curtis sold 6,536 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.63, for a total value of $448,565.68. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 37,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,551,594.77. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Axel Mr Schwan sold 36,000 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.44, for a total transaction of $2,535,840.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 97,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,866,420.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 24.1% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 788 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 5.1% in the first quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 3,201 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $254,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 4.0% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 4,158 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $293,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,922 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $391,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 22.2% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,117 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. 82.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE QSR traded up $0.74 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $69.92. The company had a trading volume of 1,201,510 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,622,346. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $70.28 and its 200 day moving average is $72.17. The company has a market capitalization of $22.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.93. Restaurant Brands International has a fifty-two week low of $61.77 and a fifty-two week high of $83.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.71, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The restaurant operator reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $2.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.05 billion. Restaurant Brands International had a return on equity of 30.78% and a net margin of 16.99%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Restaurant Brands International will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Restaurant Brands International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 20th. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.32%. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.79%.

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.