Restaurant Brands International Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:QSR)

Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders bought 273,975 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 22,468% compared to the average volume of 1,214 call options.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jill Granat sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,956,471.05. This trade represents a 4.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Joshua Kobza sold 200,000 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction on 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 owned 960,769 shares in the company, valued at $72,105,713.45. This trade represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 435,191 shares of company stock worth $31,829,606. Corporate insiders own 1.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Restaurant Brands International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 43,525,570 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,969,819,000 after buying an additional 3,095,167 shares in the last quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 11.7% in the 4th quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 16,645,003 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,135,844,000 after buying an additional 1,741,795 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,983,585 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,090,684,000 after buying an additional 344,066 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 24.2% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,429,121 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $575,119,000 after acquiring an additional 1,641,870 shares during the period. Finally, Baupost Group LLC MA raised its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 103.8% during the 3rd quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 8,252,862 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $529,337,000 after acquiring an additional 4,203,300 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.29% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about 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

Analyst Ratings Changes

QSR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Guggenheim raised their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $74.00 to $72.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $83.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective 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, March 2nd. Fourteen equities 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Restaurant Brands International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.19.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Performance

Shares of QSR opened at $74.37 on Thursday. Restaurant Brands International has a 1 year low of $58.71 and a 1 year high of $75.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $69.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $68.34. The firm has a market cap of $25.82 billion, a PE ratio of 31.51, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.56.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.81 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Restaurant Brands International will post 3.72 EPS for the current 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 given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This is a boost from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 19th. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 105.08%.

Restaurant Brands International Company Profile

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.