QSR Restaurant Brands International Inc.

NYSE Retail-Eating Places A6 CIK: 0001618756
AI RATING
SELL
85% Confidence

Investment Thesis

Despite robust 12.2% revenue growth, net income collapsed 27.8% year-over-year, signaling severe operational margin compression and deteriorating fundamental health. Extreme leverage (3.54x debt-to-equity) combined with liquidity stress (0.99x current ratio) and weak returns (9% ROE) create significant financial vulnerability.

Strengths

  • + Revenue growth of 12.2% YoY demonstrates market demand and franchise expansion
  • + Strong operating margin of 26.8% reflects operational efficiency in core business
  • + Positive free cash flow generation of $169M provides some debt service cushion

Risks

  • ! Net income declining 27.8% YoY despite revenue growth indicates severe margin compression and cost control issues
  • ! Critically high leverage at 3.54x debt-to-equity with $13.3B debt vs $3.7B equity limits financial flexibility
  • ! Liquidity stress with current ratio of 0.99x and quick ratio of 0.90x suggests potential near-term cash flow pressure
  • ! Anemic returns with 9% ROE and 1.4% ROA indicate poor capital efficiency
  • ! High insider activity (36 Form 4 filings in 90 days) may reflect management concern about deterioration

Key Metrics to Watch

Financial Metrics

Revenue
2.3B
Net Income
338.0M
EPS (Diluted)
$0.97
Free Cash Flow
169.0M
Total Assets
24.9B
Cash
1.0B

Profitability Ratios

Gross Margin 36.5%
Operating Margin 26.8%
Net Margin 14.9%
ROE 9.0%
ROA 1.4%
FCF Margin 7.5%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity

Current Ratio
0.99x
Quick Ratio
0.90x
Debt/Equity
3.54x
Debt/Assets
78.7%
Interest Coverage
N/A
Long-term Debt
13.3B
Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI based on publicly available SEC EDGAR filings. It does not include stock price data and should not be considered financial advice. All fundamental data is sourced from SEC public domain filings. Always conduct your own research before making investment decisions.
Data Source: SEC EDGAR | Analysis Date: 2026-05-08T12:03:16.822861 | Data as of: 2026-03-31 | Powered by Claude AI