Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.03 EPS

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) (TSE:QSR) issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The restaurant operator reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.03, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $2.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. Restaurant Brands International had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 32.43%. Restaurant Brands International’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.81 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Restaurant Brands International’s conference call:

• For 2025 RBI reported strong results with 8.3% organic adjusted operating income growth and 10.7% adjusted EPS growth, the third consecutive year of roughly 8% AOI growth.
• The international segment was a standout (Q4 comps +6.1%, system-wide sales ~+11% FY), and RBI closed a joint venture with CPE for Burger King China with a $350 million capital injection and a plan to roughly double the footprint to ~2,500 units by 2030.
• Burger King U.S. showed operational momentum—successful marketing (e.g., SpongeBob activation), retention of new guests, Modern Image up to 58%, and refranchising that started ahead of schedule, supporting long-term unit and margin improvement.
• Elevated commodity costs, notably >20% beef inflation in 2025, pressured Burger King franchisee profitability (avg. ~$185k vs ~$205k in 2024), a near-term headwind to unit economics and margins.
• Popeyes underperformed in 2025 (comparable sales down ~3.2% and franchisee EBITDA ? $235k), prompting a leadership reset and intensified field operations/coaching to restore restaurant-level execution.

Restaurant Brands International Price Performance

Shares of QSR stock traded down $3.81 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $66.89. 7,321,527 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,919,351. Restaurant Brands International has a twelve month low of $58.71 and a twelve month high of $73.70. The firm has a market cap of $23.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.58. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $69.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.65, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Key Stories Impacting Restaurant Brands International

Here are the key news stories impacting Restaurant Brands International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings and revenue beat expectations, with EPS of $0.96 vs. $0.93 consensus and revenue of $2.47B topping estimates — evidence of continued revenue momentum. MarketBeat Earnings Recap
• Positive Sentiment: Same?store sales growth of 3.1% in Q4 was led by a 6.1% gain in international Burger King locations, showing strong global demand and backing future franchise revenue. Reuters: Sales Beat
• Positive Sentiment: RBI returned roughly $1.1B to shareholders in 2025 and said it hit 2025 targets for organic adjusted operating income growth and net leverage — supportive for yield?focused investors. PR Newswire: Company Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue was up ~7.4% year?over?year and consolidated system?wide sales grew ~5.8% in Q4 — solid growth but already reflected in expectations. Zacks: Key Metrics
• Negative Sentiment: Reported profit (net income) fell in the quarter despite higher sales, suggesting margin pressure and cost/headwind issues that worry investors. WSJ: Profit Slide
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary that investors were “not impressed” — earnings beat but upside was modest and didn’t change growth story — likely drove the selloff as expectations for stronger margin or guidance improvements were unmet. 247WallSt: Investor Reaction
• Negative Sentiment: High leverage (debt/equity ~2.65) and a dip in net margin (reported ~9.95%) increase sensitivity to cost inflation and could amplify investor caution on valuation. MarketBeat: Financial Metrics

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Restaurant Brands International news, insider Peter Perdue sold 396 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.44, for a total value of $26,706.24. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 36,997 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,495,077.68. The trade was a 1.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jacqueline Friesner sold 816 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.44, for a total transaction of $55,031.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 187,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,615,933.36. The trade was a 0.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 145,508 shares of company stock valued at $10,233,040. 1.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Restaurant Brands International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Baupost Group LLC MA lifted its stake in Restaurant Brands International by 103.8% during the third quarter. Baupost Group LLC MA now owns 8,252,862 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $529,337,000 after purchasing an additional 4,203,300 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 9,477.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,997,344 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $198,711,000 after buying an additional 2,966,048 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its holdings in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 56.4% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 2,855,081 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $189,510,000 after buying an additional 1,029,500 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Restaurant Brands International by 62.2% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,339,967 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $155,116,000 after acquiring an additional 897,742 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Duquesne Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Restaurant Brands International during the 2nd quarter worth $49,784,000. 82.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

QSR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International from $74.00 to $72.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Argus raised Restaurant Brands International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $85.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Restaurant Brands International in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Restaurant Brands International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.95.

About Restaurant Brands International

Restaurant Brands International Inc (NYSE: QSR) is a global quick-service restaurant company formed through the combination of established brands. The company’s principal holdings include Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes, each of which operates under its own brand identity and menu. Restaurant Brands International’s business is centered on developing and expanding these franchised restaurant systems, supporting franchisees with brand management, supply chain coordination, and marketing programs.

RBI’s restaurants offer a range of quick-service food and beverage products: Burger King is known for its flame-grilled hamburgers and sandwiches, Tim Hortons for coffee, baked goods and breakfast items, and Popeyes for Louisiana-style fried chicken and seafood.