Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Grows Holdings in Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR)

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. boosted its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) by 4.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 82,711 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,511 shares during the quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings in Restaurant Brands International were worth $5,381,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Summerhill Capital Management lnc. purchased a new stake in Restaurant Brands International during the 4th quarter valued at about $841,000. Baskin Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Restaurant Brands International by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Baskin Financial Services Inc. now owns 332,594 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $21,664,000 after purchasing an additional 9,208 shares during the last quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. grew its position in Restaurant Brands International by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 942,022 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $61,384,000 after purchasing an additional 37,241 shares during the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp grew its position in Restaurant Brands International by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 914,500 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $59,574,000 after purchasing an additional 6,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Restaurant Brands International during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. 82.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Restaurant Brands International Price Performance

NYSE QSR opened at $67.93 on Friday. Restaurant Brands International Inc. has a 12 month low of $59.67 and a 12 month high of $81.27. The stock has a market cap of $22.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.36, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.95. The company’s 50 day moving average is $64.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.29). Restaurant Brands International had a return on equity of 28.53% and a net margin of 12.15%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Restaurant Brands International Inc. will post 3.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This is a positive change from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Restaurant Brands International

In other Restaurant Brands International news, insider Duncan Fulton sold 27,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.66, for a total transaction of $1,778,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 34,822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,251,590.52. This trade represents a 44.13 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Thiago T. Santelmo sold 3,511 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.20, for a total transaction of $225,406.20. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 32,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,114,555.40. This trade represents a 9.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 287,726 shares of company stock valued at $18,269,723 in the last three months. 1.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on QSR. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $80.00 to $78.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Argus upgraded shares of Restaurant Brands International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $81.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $83.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Restaurant Brands International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $77.08.

Restaurant Brands International Profile

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.