Short Interest in Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) Decreases By 19.5%

Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) saw a large decrease in short interest in October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,380,000 shares, a decrease of 19.5% from the October 15th total of 6,680,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,460,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.7 days. Currently, 1.7% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Restaurant Brands International Price Performance

QSR opened at $68.48 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $70.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.34. Restaurant Brands International has a 1 year low of $65.87 and a 1 year high of $83.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.17 billion, a PE ratio of 17.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.94.

Restaurant Brands International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be issued a $0.58 dividend. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

QSR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $89.00 to $86.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Restaurant Brands International from $82.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Restaurant Brands International from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Bank of America increased their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $76.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $82.37.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Thomas Benjamin Curtis sold 6,536 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.63, for a total value of $448,565.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 37,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,551,594.77. This represents a 14.95 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Axel Mr Schwan sold 36,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.44, for a total value of $2,535,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 97,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,866,420.76. The trade was a 26.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Restaurant Brands International

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 6.1% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 124,770 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $9,915,000 after acquiring an additional 7,196 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 63.7% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 40,837 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,245,000 after acquiring an additional 15,891 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. acquired a new stake in Restaurant Brands International in the second quarter worth about $666,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 1.7% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 650,486 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $45,772,000 after acquiring an additional 10,855 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Seven Eight Capital LP lifted its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 646.3% during the first quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP now owns 23,627 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,877,000 after purchasing an additional 20,461 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.29% of the company’s stock.

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.