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 report issued on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has $71.00 price target on the restaurant operator’s stock, down from their prior price target of $74.00.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on QSR. CIBC lowered their price target on Restaurant Brands International from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an “outperformer” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Argus cut their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $82.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $81.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $80.96.

Restaurant Brands International Price Performance

NYSE:QSR opened at $62.09 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $66.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.89. Restaurant Brands International has a 1 year low of $59.85 and a 1 year high of $83.29. The firm 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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 20th. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.74%. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jill Granat sold 81,387 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.37, for a total transaction of $5,645,816.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 388,759 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,968,211.83. This trade represents a 17.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Thiago T. Santelmo sold 3,511 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 32,937 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,114,555.40. This trade represents a 9.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 113,510 shares of company stock worth $7,774,020. 1.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 3.8% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 4,318 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 2.2% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 8,412 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $607,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 79.4% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 418 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Arvest Investments Inc. raised its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Arvest Investments Inc. now owns 18,450 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,331,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,507 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $325,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.29% of the company’s stock.

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.