Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) Stock Price

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) had its target price upped by Morgan Stanley from $77.00 to $78.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on QSR. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on 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. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Restaurant Brands International from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $71.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Monday. Scotiabank reduced their target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $74.00 to $71.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $80.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Restaurant Brands International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $78.95.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Performance

Shares of QSR stock opened at $72.01 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $24.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.51, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.56. The business has a 50 day moving average of $68.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.65. Restaurant Brands International has a 52 week low of $58.71 and a 52 week high of $73.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.81 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Restaurant Brands International will post 3.72 EPS for the current year.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 19th will be given a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 19th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. This is a boost from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. Restaurant Brands International’s payout ratio is currently 105.08%.

Insider Activity at Restaurant Brands International

In other news, insider Jacqueline Friesner sold 4,617 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.51, for a total value of $311,693.67. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 194,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,110,509.51. This represents a 2.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Duncan Fulton sold 10,308 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.51, for a total transaction of $695,893.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 49,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,353,694.27. This trade represents a 17.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 186,401 shares of company stock worth $12,857,069 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Restaurant Brands International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of QSR. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 8,451 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $577,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Capital Analysts LLC lifted its position in Restaurant Brands International by 20.6% during the 4th quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 924 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the period. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 8,029 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $548,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 9,440 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $644,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the period. Finally, MAI Capital Management raised its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 4.1% during the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 4,595 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $305,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Restaurant Brands International News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target to $87 from $83 and maintains a “buy” rating, implying roughly 20.8% upside from the current price — a strong catalyst for upside expectations. Truist Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada lifted its target to $83 and kept an “outperform” rating, signaling about 15% potential upside and reinforcing analyst optimism on growth/earnings. RBC Raise Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: AmericanBankingNews reports a price target raise to $80 (coverage note), adding to the cluster of upward revisions that lift consensus targets. Price Target Raised to $80
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley nudged its target to $78 and kept an “equal weight” rating (smaller uplift), which still supports the overall upward re‑rating of the stock. Morgan Stanley Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published a bullish forecast for QSR’s Q1 earnings, which reinforces the analyst-driven optimism and could validate the higher targets if results meet or beat estimates. Zacks Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: An investor piece on The Motley Fool framed the stock as a top long‑term holding (buy‑and‑hold endorsement), which can help retail demand and sentiment. Fool Feature

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.