Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) Short Interest Down 17.1% in December

Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,850,000 shares, a decline of 17.1% from the November 30th total of 8,260,000 shares. Currently, 2.2% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,560,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.4 days.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Performance

Shares of QSR stock traded up $0.16 on Tuesday, reaching $65.07. The stock had a trading volume of 214,153 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,599,213. Restaurant Brands International has a 12 month low of $64.55 and a 12 month high of $83.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.93. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $68.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75.

Restaurant Brands International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.57%. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jill Granat sold 10,613 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.41, for a total transaction of $747,261.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 388,759 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,372,521.19. The trade was a 2.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Restaurant Brands International

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 79.4% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 418 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Restaurant Brands International in the third quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 123.9% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,388 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 768 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 67.0% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,754 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $126,000 after purchasing an additional 704 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 17.8% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,754 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on QSR shares. CIBC lowered their target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $88.00 to $86.00 and set an “outperformer” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Bank of America raised their price objective 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. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $89.00 to $86.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Citigroup raised their price target on Restaurant Brands International from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $82.27.

Restaurant Brands International Company 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.