Restaurant Brands (NYSE: QSR) owns massive fast-food chains like Burger King, Popeyes, and Tim Hortons. The company has received approval for its share buyback program, under which it will be able to repurchase up to 10% or $500 million worth of its outstanding shares over the next year. Let's explore what this announcement really means and compare the company to the competition on key metrics.
Repurchases: Better to Have and Not Need Than the Other Way Around
Should the company decide to use its buyback capabilities, it would benefit shareholders. Share buybacks support the earnings-per-share (EPS) of a company by lowering the share count. This also means each share that continues to be outstanding is worth a larger percentage of the overall company.
Counterintuitively, it's likely a better overall outcome for shareholders if the buyback program is not used. This is because the company is only likely to initiate buybacks if the share price falls significantly. The company started buying back shares in Oct. 2023, when the stock price had fallen nearly 10% in two weeks. This helped support the stock price at that time.
Since then, outstanding shares have climbed to their highest level in the past year, while the share price has been flat. More than anything, this announcement shows the firm's willingness to step in ...
