Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) Short Interest Up 18.9% in March

Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR - Get Free Report) TSE: QSR saw a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 12,530,000 shares, an increase of 18.9% from the March 15th total of 10,540,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,310,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.4 days. Approximately 3.9% of the company's stock are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on QSR. Loop Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $71.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. TD Securities reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $80.00 to $78.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $81.00 to $73.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Restaurant Brands International presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $76.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Restaurant Brands International news, insider Duncan Fulton sold 27,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.66, for a total value of $1,778,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 34,822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,251,590.52. The trade was a 44.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Sami A. Siddiqui sold 12,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.12, for a total transaction of $851,500.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 235,228 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,023,731.36. This represents a 5.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 278,716 shares of company stock worth $17,740,281 in the last ninety days. 1.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Restaurant Brands International

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MML Investors Services LLC grew its position in Restaurant Brands International by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 9,066 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $654,000 after buying an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. Arvest Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in Restaurant Brands International in the third quarter worth approximately $12,053,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Restaurant Brands International during the 3rd quarter valued at $378,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,507 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $325,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International in the fourth quarter valued at $1,299,000. 82.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:QSR traded down $0.05 during trading on Friday, reaching $62.54. 354,161 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,844,109. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.72. Restaurant Brands International has a 12 month low of $58.71 and a 12 month high of $77.24. The company has a 50 day moving average of $64.92 and a 200-day moving average of $66.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR - Get Free Report) TSE: QSR last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.29). Restaurant Brands International had a return on equity of 28.53% and a net margin of 12.15%. On average, equities analysts expect that Restaurant Brands International will post 3.72 EPS for the current year.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st were issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.97%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 21st. This is a boost from Restaurant Brands International's previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. Restaurant Brands International's payout ratio is 77.99%.

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.