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

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) was upgraded by stock analysts at Guggenheim from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $71.00 price target on the restaurant operator’s stock, down from their prior price target of $74.00. Guggenheim’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 15.42% from the stock’s current price.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on QSR. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. CIBC decreased 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 report on Wednesday, November 6th. KeyCorp lowered 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 report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased 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 research report on Wednesday, November 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $80.96.

Restaurant Brands International Price Performance

QSR stock opened at $61.52 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.42, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $66.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.02. Restaurant Brands International has a 52-week low of $59.85 and a 52-week high of $83.29.

Insider Transactions at Restaurant Brands International

In related news, insider Thiago T. Santelmo sold 3,511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.20, for a total transaction of $225,406.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 32,937 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,114,555.40. This represents a 9.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jill Granat sold 81,387 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.37, for a total value of $5,645,816.19. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 388,759 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,968,211.83. This trade represents a 17.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 113,510 shares of company stock valued at $7,774,020 over the last ninety days. 1.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Restaurant Brands International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC now owns 7,039 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $459,000 after buying an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Aspire Private Capital LLC boosted its position in Restaurant Brands International by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. Aspire Private Capital LLC now owns 16,100 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,049,000 after purchasing an additional 1,788 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 74.8% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,325 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 567 shares during the period. Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International during the 4th quarter valued at $1,299,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,507 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $325,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. 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.