Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $75.66 and last traded at $74.8870, with a volume of 2070797 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $73.75.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on QSR. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Restaurant Brands International from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $71.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Restaurant Brands International from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Guggenheim upped their price target on Restaurant Brands International from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $83.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $79.19.

Restaurant Brands International Trading Up 1.8%

The stock has a market capitalization of $26.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $69.93 and a 200-day moving average of $68.54.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.03. Restaurant Brands International had a return on equity of 32.51% and a net margin of 8.23%.The business had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.81 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Restaurant Brands International Inc. will post 3.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 19th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 19th. This is a boost from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 110.17%.

Insider Activity at Restaurant Brands International

In other Restaurant Brands International news, CFO Sami A. Siddiqui sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.51, for a total value of $2,980,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 35,766 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,664,924.66. This trade represents a 52.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Joshua Kobza sold 200,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.05, for a total value of $15,010,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 960,769 shares in the company, valued at approximately $72,105,713.45. This represents a 17.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 455,191 shares of company stock valued at $33,299,206. 1.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Restaurant Brands International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Restaurant Brands International in the 1st quarter worth approximately $237,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 1.8% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 40,618 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,693,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Restaurant Brands International by 8.0% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,303,726 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,015,137,000 after purchasing an additional 1,134,665 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 945,730 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $62,493,000 after purchasing an additional 70,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Restaurant Brands International by 4.6% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,530,765 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $101,479,000 after purchasing an additional 66,661 shares during the last quarter. 82.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Restaurant Brands International

Restaurant Brands International Inc (NYSE: QSR) is a global quick-service restaurant company formed through the combination of established brands. The company’s principal holdings include Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes, each of which operates under its own brand identity and menu. Restaurant Brands International’s business is centered on developing and expanding these franchised restaurant systems, supporting franchisees with brand management, supply chain coordination, and marketing programs.

RBI’s restaurants offer a range of quick-service food and beverage products: Burger King is known for its flame-grilled hamburgers and sandwiches, Tim Hortons for coffee, baked goods and breakfast items, and Popeyes for Louisiana-style fried chicken and seafood.