JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) Price Target to $78.00

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) had its price objective cut by stock analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $80.00 to $78.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 15.03% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on QSR. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price 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. Argus upgraded Restaurant Brands International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. TD Securities restated a “hold” rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Guggenheim upgraded Restaurant Brands International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $74.00 to $71.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.08.

Restaurant Brands International Price Performance

QSR traded down $0.22 during trading on Thursday, reaching $67.81. The stock had a trading volume of 275,768 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,705,727. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.95. 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 has a 1-year low of $59.67 and a 1-year high of $81.27. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $64.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.27.

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

Insider Transactions at Restaurant Brands International

In related news, CFO Sami A. Siddiqui sold 5,579 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.20, for a total value of $358,171.80. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 27,266 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,750,477.20. This represents a 16.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Thiago T. Santelmo sold 3,511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.20, for a total transaction of $225,406.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 32,937 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,114,555.40. This trade represents a 9.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 287,726 shares of company stock worth $18,269,723 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital World Investors grew its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 43,418,188 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,829,974,000 after buying an additional 841,167 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,165,498 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $858,101,000 after purchasing an additional 421,873 shares during the period. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 26.6% in the 4th quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 12,819,570 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $834,478,000 after purchasing an additional 2,695,071 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Restaurant Brands International in the 4th quarter valued at about $264,813,000. Finally, Meritage Group LP boosted its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 5,795.9% in the 4th quarter. Meritage Group LP now owns 3,301,689 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $215,204,000 after purchasing an additional 3,245,689 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.29% of the company’s stock.

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.