Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. Sells 505,847 Shares of Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR)

Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. decreased its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) by 8.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,639,237 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 505,847 shares during the quarter. Restaurant Brands International accounts for 2.0% of Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd.’s holdings in Restaurant Brands International were worth $367,361,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Restaurant Brands International by 213.6% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 461 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Restaurant Brands International during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 183.9% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 636 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 412 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Restaurant Brands International in the 4th quarter worth $74,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in Restaurant Brands International by 74.8% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,325 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $86,000 after acquiring an additional 567 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on QSR. Argus raised Restaurant Brands International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $83.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. CIBC decreased their price target 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. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $86.00 to $77.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $73.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.08.

Insider Activity

In other Restaurant Brands International news, CFO Sami A. Siddiqui sold 12,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.12, for a total transaction of $851,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 235,228 shares in the company, valued at $16,023,731.36. This trade represents a 5.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Duncan Fulton sold 27,500 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.66, for a total transaction of $1,778,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 34,822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,251,590.52. The trade was a 44.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 300,226 shares of company stock worth $19,121,223. 1.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Performance

QSR opened at $64.52 on Friday. 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 capitalization of $21.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.29, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a fifty day moving average of $64.88 and a 200 day moving average of $67.22. Restaurant Brands International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $59.67 and a fifty-two week high of $79.28.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) last issued 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 return on equity of 28.53% and a net margin of 12.15%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Restaurant Brands International Inc. will post 3.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Restaurant Brands International Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.84%. This is a boost from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio is 77.99%.

Restaurant Brands International 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.