Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) Short Interest Down 19.5% in October

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on QSR. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $80.00 to $77.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Argus decreased 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $77.00 to $72.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $82.37.

Restaurant Brands International Price Performance

QSR traded down $0.95 during trading on Friday, reaching $67.52. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,279,694 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,545,530. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $70.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $70.24. Restaurant Brands International has a 1 year low of $65.87 and a 1 year high of $83.29. The company has a market cap of $21.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.92, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.94.

Restaurant Brands International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a $0.58 dividend. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Restaurant Brands International news, insider Thomas Benjamin Curtis sold 6,536 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.63, for a total transaction of $448,565.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 37,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,551,594.77. The trade was a 14.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Axel Mr Schwan sold 36,000 shares of the business’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 sale, the insider now directly owns 97,479 shares in the company, 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. Corporate insiders own 1.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of QSR. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position 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 valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Restaurant Brands International in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Restaurant Brands International in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $61,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 22.2% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,117 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 123.9% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,388 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 768 shares during the last quarter. 82.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.