QSR enters key niche

Article Excerpt

RESTAURANT BRANDS INTERNATIONAL, $57.83, is a buy. The company (New York symbol QSR; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (www.rbi.com; Shares o/s: 478.0 million; Market cap: $27.6 billion; Divd. yield: 3.7%) has agreed to buy privately held Firehouse Subs for $1 billion. Florida-based Firehouse Subs, which was founded in 1994 by brothers and former firefighters Chris and Robin Sorensen, has nearly 1,200 locations across the U.S. and in Canada and Puerto Rico. System-wide sales have quadrupled in the last decade and are expected to hit $1.1 billion U.S. in 2021. Firehouse will add a sub sandwich chain to Restaurant Brand’s three other quick service restaurant brands—Tim Hortons, Burger King and Popeyes. Meantime, Firehouse should be a good fit—it already has a strong digital presences and a mobile app. The brand’s loyalty program has 3.5 million subscribers. Restaurant Brands is still a buy. buy…