Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp Trims Stake in Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR)

Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp decreased its stake in Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) by 6.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,791 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 410 shares during the period. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp’s holdings in Restaurant Brands International were worth $377,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 3,137 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Waterfront Wealth Inc. grew its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 14,034 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $915,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,507 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 6,687 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Restaurant Brands International by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,899 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $319,000 after buying an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. 82.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on QSR shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of 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. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on Restaurant Brands International from $86.00 to $77.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Securities reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $71.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Restaurant Brands International from $72.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Restaurant Brands International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $76.63.

Insider Transactions at Restaurant Brands International

In related news, insider Duncan Fulton sold 15,974 shares of Restaurant Brands International stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.48, for a total value of $998,055.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,248 shares in the company, valued at $2,827,095.04. This trade represents a 26.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Sami A. Siddiqui sold 12,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 235,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,023,731.36. This trade represents a 5.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 278,716 shares of company stock valued at $17,740,281. Company insiders own 1.36% of the company’s stock.

Restaurant Brands International Stock Performance

NYSE:QSR opened at $61.76 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $20.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.72. Restaurant Brands International Inc. has a twelve month low of $58.71 and a twelve month high of $77.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75. The company has a 50-day moving average of $65.30 and a 200-day moving average of $66.83.

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) last announced 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%. 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st were given a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 21st. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.02%. This is a positive change from Restaurant Brands International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. Restaurant Brands International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.