Citigroup Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) Stock

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) had its target price raised by Citigroup from $65.00 to $67.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday,BayStreet.CA reports. Citigroup currently has a neutral rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

QSR has been the subject of several other reports. KeyCorp cut their target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $80.00 to $78.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Argus cut shares of Restaurant Brands International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $93.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. TD Securities restated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Restaurant Brands International from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Restaurant Brands International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $78.81.

Restaurant Brands International Price Performance

Shares of QSR opened at $66.38 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $64.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.08. The company has a market capitalization of $21.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.93. Restaurant Brands International has a fifty-two week low of $59.67 and a fifty-two week high of $83.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.02.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) last posted its earnings results 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 return on equity of 28.25% and a net margin of 16.01%. Research analysts predict that Restaurant Brands International will post 3.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. This is an increase from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.74%. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Thiago T. Santelmo sold 3,511 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 32,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,114,555.40. The trade was a 9.63 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jill Granat sold 10,613 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.41, for a total value of $747,261.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 388,759 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,372,521.19. The trade was a 2.66 % 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 valued at $7,774,020. Insiders own 1.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Restaurant Brands International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 4,318 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $311,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 3,137 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $204,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased 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 valued at $607,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. raised its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 14,034 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $915,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 79.4% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 418 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.