AIA Group Ltd Increases Stock Holdings in Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR)

AIA Group Ltd lifted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) by 27.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 56,575 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,229 shares during the quarter. AIA Group Ltd’s holdings in Restaurant Brands International were worth $3,688,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 213.6% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 461 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 183.9% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 636 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 412 shares during the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Restaurant Brands International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $60,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Restaurant Brands International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $74,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.29% of the company’s stock.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Performance

Shares of QSR stock opened at $64.52 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $64.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $67.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.95. Restaurant Brands International Inc. has a 12 month low of $59.67 and a 12 month high of $79.28.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The restaurant operator reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.29). Restaurant Brands International had a return on equity of 28.53% and a net margin of 12.15%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Restaurant Brands International Inc. will post 3.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.84%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This is a positive change from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. Restaurant Brands International’s payout ratio is 77.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Restaurant Brands International

In other news, CFO Sami A. Siddiqui sold 12,500 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.12, for a total value of $851,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 235,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,023,731.36. This trade represents a 5.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Thiago T. Santelmo sold 3,511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.20, for a total value of $225,406.20. Following the sale, the insider now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 300,226 shares of company stock worth $19,121,223 in the last ninety days. 1.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on QSR shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Restaurant Brands International from $81.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. CIBC decreased their target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $86.00 to $78.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. TD Securities reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Argus upgraded Restaurant Brands International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.08.

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.