Short Interest in Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) Declines By 17.1%

Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR - Get Free Report) TSE: QSR was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,850,000 shares, a decline of 17.1% from the November 30th total of 8,260,000 shares. Currently, 2.2% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,560,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.4 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $89.00 to $86.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. CIBC cut their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an "outperformer" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. KeyCorp decreased their price target on Restaurant Brands International from $80.00 to $78.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $76.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $82.27.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Restaurant Brands International news, insider Jill Granat sold 10,613 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.41, for a total transaction of $747,261.33. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 388,759 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,372,521.19. This trade represents a 2.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.36% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Restaurant Brands International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of QSR. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 79.4% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 418 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $61,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 123.9% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,388 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 768 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 67.0% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,754 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $126,000 after purchasing an additional 704 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Restaurant Brands International by 17.8% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,754 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.29% of the company's stock.

Restaurant Brands International Price Performance

NYSE QSR traded down $0.30 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $65.54. The company had a trading volume of 559,304 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,608,200. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.82. Restaurant Brands International has a 52 week low of $64.69 and a 52 week high of $83.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.43, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.93. 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.54%. Restaurant Brands International's dividend payout ratio is currently 58.15%.

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.