Primecap Management Co. CA Trims Stake in Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR)

Primecap Management Co. CA lessened its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) by 9.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 108,300 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 11,000 shares during the quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA’s holdings in Restaurant Brands International were worth $7,059,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Summerhill Capital Management lnc. purchased a new position in Restaurant Brands International during the fourth quarter valued at $841,000. Baskin Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Baskin Financial Services Inc. now owns 332,594 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $21,664,000 after buying an additional 9,208 shares in the last quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 942,022 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $61,384,000 after acquiring an additional 37,241 shares during the period. Alberta Investment Management Corp increased its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 914,500 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $59,574,000 after acquiring an additional 6,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Restaurant Brands International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 82.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Restaurant Brands International

In other news, insider Thiago T. Santelmo sold 3,511 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the insider now owns 32,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,114,555.40. The trade was a 9.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Duncan Fulton sold 27,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.66, for a total value of $1,778,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 34,822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,251,590.52. This trade represents a 44.13 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 287,726 shares of company stock worth $18,269,723. 1.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Restaurant Brands International Price Performance

Restaurant Brands International stock opened at $68.07 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.12 billion, a PE ratio of 21.40, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 $81.27. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $64.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $67.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75.

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

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be paid a $0.62 dividend. This is a positive change from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.64%. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $72.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. TD Cowen lowered Restaurant Brands International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $81.00 to $73.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. CIBC cut their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $86.00 to $78.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Argus raised Restaurant Brands International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Restaurant Brands International has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $77.33.

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.