Scotiabank Boosts Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) Price Target to $81.00

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) had its target price upped by Scotiabank from $80.00 to $81.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on QSR. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. CIBC decreased their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $88.00 to $87.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $81.00 to $78.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $78.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $83.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, January 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $82.29.

Restaurant Brands International Price Performance

QSR stock opened at $73.84 on Monday. Restaurant Brands International has a 52-week low of $61.77 and a 52-week high of $83.29. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $76.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $74.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.91.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.02. Restaurant Brands International had a return on equity of 32.20% and a net margin of 16.95%. The business had revenue of $1.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.72 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Restaurant Brands International will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 21st were given a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.14%. This is a positive change from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 20th. Restaurant Brands International’s payout ratio is presently 61.54%.

Insider Transactions at Restaurant Brands International

In other news, CEO Joshua Kobza sold 36,371 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.26, for a total transaction of $2,773,652.46. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 471,746 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,975,349.96. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Joshua Kobza sold 36,371 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.26, for a total value of $2,773,652.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 471,746 shares in the company, valued at $35,975,349.96. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Matthew Dunnigan sold 14,565 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.26, for a total value of $1,110,726.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 55,863 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,260,112.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 380,200 shares of company stock valued at $28,828,182. 1.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Restaurant Brands International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 21.8% in the first quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 28,101 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,233,000 after acquiring an additional 5,035 shares during the period. Seascape Capital Management boosted its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 4.9% in the first quarter. Seascape Capital Management now owns 34,990 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,780,000 after acquiring an additional 1,650 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. acquired a new position in Restaurant Brands International in the first quarter valued at approximately $9,539,000. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA boosted its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 7.3% in the first quarter. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA now owns 17,313 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,373,000 after acquiring an additional 1,185 shares during the period. Finally, ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new position in Restaurant Brands International in the first quarter valued at approximately $358,000. 82.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.