Stephens Sees QSR Shares Fully Valued After Q4 Beat

Stephens is bullish on the shares of Restaurant Brands International Inc QSR after the company reported strong fourth quarter results, driven by solid U.S. comp growth at Burger King and new product introductions that delivered better value proposition.

Restaurant Brands, formerly Burger King Worldwide, is the parent company created following Burger King's acquisition of Canadian-based coffee chain Tim Horton's.

Restaurant Brands reported quarterly adjusted EPS of $0.44, $0.02 higher than consensus estimate. Burger King saw comp growth of 1.8 percent during the fourth quarter, topping consensus view of 1.1 percent. However, Tim Horton's same-store sales were slightly disappointing at +0.2 percent versus consensus of +1.1 percent.

“[W]e view these results as solid, especially given the current industry softness and aggressive competitive discounting,” analyst Will Slabaugh wrote in a note.

Slabaugh reiterated his Overweight rating, with a price target of $52.

After the fourth quarter beat, shares of Restaurant Brands set a new 52-week high of $52.84 that is higher than the analyst’s price target. At last check, shares rose 2.74 percent to $52.83.