Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) Sees Strong Trading Volume Following Analyst Upgrade

Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) shares saw strong trading volume on Wednesday after Oppenheimer raised their price target on the stock from $80.00 to $85.00. Oppenheimer currently has an outperform rating on the stock. 7,372,263 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 123% from the previous session’s volume of 3,304,648 shares.The stock last traded at $74.8380 and had previously closed at $75.05.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on QSR. Argus upgraded shares of Restaurant Brands International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $74.00 to $72.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $77.00 to $72.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $83.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $74.00 to $72.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Restaurant Brands International has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $79.19.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Axel Schwan sold 34,939 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.51, for a total value of $2,358,731.89. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 194,984 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,163,369.84. The trade was a 15.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jill Granat sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.09, for a total transaction of $1,877,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 478,845 shares in the company, valued at $35,956,471.05. This represents a 4.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 435,191 shares of company stock worth $31,829,606 over the last 90 days. 1.25% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Restaurant Brands International

Here are the key news stories impacting Restaurant Brands International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer raised its price target to $85 and reiterated an “outperform” view, adding fresh analyst upside that supports investor confidence. Oppenheimer Raises Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large options flow: traders bought roughly 273,975 call contracts on March 18 (a ~22,468% jump vs. average). This signals sizable bullish speculation or hedging interest that can lift share demand. No article link available
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend hike: RBI increased the quarterly payout to $0.65 (annualized $2.60) with an ex-dividend date on March 19, which improves yield and may attract income-focused buyers. Dividend Announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst activity is mixed but skewed toward optimism: several firms have nudged targets higher (Piper Sandler, RBC, Morgan Stanley among them) producing a consensus target near the high $70s — useful context but not a guaranteed catalyst. Analyst Coverage Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning remains large (institutions own ~82%); recent filings show some funds adding to holdings while others rebalance — this sustains liquidity but makes flows sensitive to macro or sector moves. Institutional Holdings Detail
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling: CEO Joshua Kobza sold 200,000 shares (~17.2% reduction in his holdings) and CFO Sami Siddiqui sold 40,000 shares (a large percentage cut), alongside other insider sales totaling hundreds of thousands of shares this week — a clear near-term negative that can pressure sentiment. CEO Form 4

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Restaurant Brands International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new position in shares of Restaurant Brands International during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 1,922.2% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 364 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 346 shares during the last quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA bought a new stake in Restaurant Brands International in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new stake in Restaurant Brands International during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Restaurant Brands International during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 82.29% of the company’s stock.

Restaurant Brands International Trading Down 0.9%

The company has a market cap of $25.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.56. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.98.

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. The business had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. Restaurant Brands International had a return on equity of 32.51% and a net margin of 8.23%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.81 EPS. Analysts anticipate 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 19th. This is a positive change from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. Restaurant Brands International’s payout ratio is presently 105.08%.

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.