Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Here’s Why

Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Wednesday . Approximately 2,616,733 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 63% from the previous session’s volume of 1,606,659 shares.The stock last traded at $67.40 and had previously closed at $67.48.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

QSR has been the subject of several research reports. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on 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. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Argus decreased their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $89.00 to $86.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $82.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” 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 issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Restaurant Brands International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $82.27.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $70.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market cap of $21.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.93.

Restaurant Brands International Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.52%. Restaurant Brands International’s payout ratio is presently 58.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jill Granat sold 81,387 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.37, for a total transaction of $5,645,816.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 388,759 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,968,211.83. This trade represents a 17.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Restaurant Brands International

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 1.7% in the second 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 in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 42.0% during the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 77,669 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $5,466,000 after purchasing an additional 22,981 shares during the period. Fiera Capital Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 3,517,417 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $247,955,000 after purchasing an additional 213,877 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 36.4% in the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 600,000 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $42,270,000 after acquiring an additional 160,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in Restaurant Brands International in the 3rd quarter valued at about $257,000. 82.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.