Guggenheim Upgrades Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) to “Buy”

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) was upgraded by research analysts at Guggenheim from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm presently has a $71.00 price target on the restaurant operator’s stock, down from their prior price target of $74.00. Guggenheim’s target price points to a potential upside of 14.36% from the company’s current price.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Bank of America increased their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $76.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $93.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. KeyCorp dropped their price target on shares of 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. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on Restaurant Brands International from $86.00 to $77.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Argus dropped their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $80.96.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Performance

Shares of QSR stock opened at $62.09 on Friday. Restaurant Brands International has a 52 week low of $59.85 and a 52 week high of $83.29. The company has a market capitalization of $20.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.56, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.02.

Insider Buying and Selling at Restaurant Brands International

In other Restaurant Brands International news, insider Jill Granat sold 81,387 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.37, for a total value of $5,645,816.19. Following the sale, the insider now owns 388,759 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,968,211.83. The trade was a 17.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Sami A. Siddiqui sold 5,579 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.20, for a total value of $358,171.80. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 27,266 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,750,477.20. This trade represents a 16.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 113,510 shares of company stock worth $7,774,020. 1.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Restaurant Brands International

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 10.1% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,379,847 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $101,085,000 after buying an additional 126,600 shares during the period. Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new position in shares of Restaurant Brands International in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,299,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 650,486 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $45,772,000 after purchasing an additional 10,855 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 112.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 17,965 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,298,000 after purchasing an additional 9,496 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in Restaurant Brands International during the third quarter worth approximately $257,000. 82.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.