Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Grows Stake in Restaurant Brands International Inc. $QSR

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) by 8.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 148,717 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after buying an additional 11,113 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Restaurant Brands International were worth $10,161,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new position in Restaurant Brands International in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Restaurant Brands International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 41.0% in the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,032 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 45.6% in the 3rd quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,079 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 17.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,606 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $110,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. 82.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Sami A. Siddiqui sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.51, for a total value of $2,980,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 35,766 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,664,924.66. This trade represents a 52.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Jacqueline Friesner sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.61, for a total value of $2,238,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 165,727 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,364,891.47. This trade represents a 15.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 441,490 shares of company stock worth $32,375,140. Corporate insiders own 1.25% of the company’s stock.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of NYSE:QSR opened at $81.24 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $73.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $70.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. Restaurant Brands International Inc. has a 12-month low of $61.33 and a 12-month high of $81.54. The firm has a market cap of $28.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.42, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.51.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. Restaurant Brands International had a net margin of 8.23% and a return on equity of 32.51%. Restaurant Brands International’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.81 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Restaurant Brands International Inc. will post 4.05 EPS for the current year.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 19th were given a $0.65 dividend. This is an increase from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 19th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio is 110.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on QSR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $77.00 to $72.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $83.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Citigroup upped their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $76.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. KeyCorp upped their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $78.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Restaurant Brands International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.04.

About Restaurant Brands International

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.