PSO vs. QSR: Pearson vs. Restaurant Brands Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Pearson (PSO) and Restaurant Brands (QSR) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Pearson (PSO) and Restaurant Brands (QSR) both fall under the Consumer Services industry group, but PSO is classified in Diversified Consumer Services while QSR is classified in Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure.

Restaurant Brands (QSR) trades as ordinary local shares, while Pearson (PSO) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Pearson (PSO) and Restaurant Brands (QSR)
Profile Item	PSO	QSR
Name	Pearson plc Sponsored ADR	Restaurant Brands International Inc.
Country/Region	United Kingdom	United States
GICS Sector	Consumer Discretionary	Consumer Discretionary
GICS Industry Group	Consumer Services	Consumer Services
GICS Industry	Diversified Consumer Services	Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure
GICS Sub-Industry	Education Services	Restaurants
Market Capitalization	10.38 billion USD	35.56 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	November 18, 1996	December 11, 2014
Security Type	ADR	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

PSO

QSR

GSPC

Pearson (PSO) vs. Restaurant Brands (QSR), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Pearson (PSO) and Restaurant Brands (QSR). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Pearson (PSO) and Restaurant Brands (QSR). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Restaurant Brands (QSR)
Metric	PSO	QSR
Total Return (1Y)	34.42%	19.01%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	15.38%	7.95%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	17.99%	9.80%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

PSO

QSR

GSPC

Pearson (PSO) vs. Restaurant Brands (QSR), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Pearson (PSO) and Restaurant Brands (QSR). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Restaurant Brands (QSR)
Metric	PSO	QSR
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	25.07%	24.79%
Beta (5Y)	0.43	0.54
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-30.73%	-24.53%
Avg. Volume (3M)	698.84K	2.91M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

PSO and QSR are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Restaurant Brands (QSR)
Metric	PSO	QSR
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.20	0.59
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.67	0.89

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Restaurant Brands (QSR) at 39.05% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Pearson (PSO) at 9.16% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for QSR.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

9.16%

Max: 76.75%
Q3: 34.07%
Median: 15.90%
PSO: 9.16%
Q1: 3.23%
Min: -40.61%

QSR

Consumer Services industry group

39.05%

Max: 76.75%
QSR: 39.05%
Q3: 34.07%
Median: 15.90%
Q1: 3.23%
Min: -40.61%

Pearson (PSO) vs. Restaurant Brands (QSR): A comparison of their ROE against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Restaurant Brands (QSR) at 15.35% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Pearson (PSO) at 8.78%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

8.78%

Max: 25.52%
Q3: 12.95%
PSO: 8.78%
Median: 6.63%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -14.36%

QSR

Consumer Services industry group

15.35%

Max: 25.52%
QSR: 15.35%
Q3: 12.95%
Median: 6.63%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -14.36%

Pearson (PSO) vs. Restaurant Brands (QSR): A comparison of their net margin against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Restaurant Brands (QSR) at 27.92% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Pearson (PSO) at 13.32%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

13.32%

Max: 49.05%
Q3: 24.35%
Median: 14.23%
PSO: 13.32%
Q1: 5.67%
Min: -16.47%

QSR

Consumer Services industry group

27.92%

Max: 49.05%
QSR: 27.92%
Q3: 24.35%
Median: 14.23%
Q1: 5.67%
Min: -16.47%

Pearson (PSO) vs. Restaurant Brands (QSR): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Restaurant Brands (QSR)
Metric	PSO	QSR
ROE (TTM)	9.16%	39.05%
ROA (TTM)	5.09%	6.48%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.78%	15.35%
Operating Margin (TTM)	13.32%	27.92%
Gross Margin (TTM)	52.04%	34.33%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Restaurant Brands (QSR) at 12.23% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Pearson (PSO) at 0.70% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Pearson (PSO) vs. Restaurant Brands (QSR): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Pearson (PSO) at -20.16% and Restaurant Brands (QSR) at -26.10% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Pearson (PSO) vs. Restaurant Brands (QSR): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Restaurant Brands (QSR)
Metric	PSO	QSR
Revenue Growth (YoY)	0.70%	12.23%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-2.35%	13.19%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-20.16%	-26.10%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	15.86%	-10.24%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Restaurant Brands (QSR) at 0.96 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Pearson (PSO) at 2.00 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

2.00

Max: 3.41
PSO: 2.00
Q3: 1.85
Median: 1.06
Q1: 0.72
Min: 0.22

QSR

Consumer Services industry group

0.96

Max: 3.41
Q3: 1.85
Median: 1.06
QSR: 0.96
Q1: 0.72
Min: 0.22

Pearson (PSO) vs. Restaurant Brands (QSR): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Pearson (PSO) at 0.52 and Restaurant Brands (QSR) at 2.84 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

0.52

Max: 6.12
Q3: 2.93
Median: 1.29
PSO: 0.52
Q1: 0.37
Min: 0.01

QSR

Consumer Services industry group

2.84

Max: 6.12
Q3: 2.93
QSR: 2.84
Median: 1.29
Q1: 0.37
Min: 0.01

Pearson (PSO) vs. Restaurant Brands (QSR): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Restaurant Brands (QSR)
Metric	PSO	QSR
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.00	0.96
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.52	2.84
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.35	4.98

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Restaurant Brands (QSR) at 3.27% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Pearson (PSO) at 1.46% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, QSR the richer one.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

1.46%

Max: 4.10%
Q3: 1.82%
PSO: 1.46%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

QSR

Consumer Services industry group

3.27%

Max: 4.10%
QSR: 3.27%
Q3: 1.82%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Pearson (PSO) vs. Restaurant Brands (QSR): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Pearson (PSO) at 51.09% and Restaurant Brands (QSR) at 56.48% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

51.09%

Max: 89.80%
PSO: 51.09%
Q3: 36.83%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

QSR

Consumer Services industry group

56.48%

Max: 89.80%
QSR: 56.48%
Q3: 36.83%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Pearson (PSO) vs. Restaurant Brands (QSR): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Restaurant Brands (QSR)
Metric	PSO	QSR
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.46%	3.27%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	51.09%	56.48%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Pearson (PSO) at 25.78 and Restaurant Brands (QSR) at 17.07 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

25.78

Max: 71.70
Q3: 37.12
PSO: 25.78
Median: 21.88
Q1: 13.00
Min: 5.72

QSR

Consumer Services industry group

17.07

Max: 71.70
Q3: 37.12
Median: 21.88
QSR: 17.07
Q1: 13.00
Min: 5.72

Pearson (PSO) vs. Restaurant Brands (QSR): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Pearson (PSO) at 2.86 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Restaurant Brands (QSR) at 3.64 sits in the pricier quartile — QSR costs more per dollar of sales.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

2.86

Max: 6.40
Q3: 3.01
PSO: 2.86
Median: 1.54
Q1: 0.74
Min: 0.08

QSR

Consumer Services industry group

3.64

Max: 6.40
QSR: 3.64
Q3: 3.01
Median: 1.54
Q1: 0.74
Min: 0.08

Pearson (PSO) vs. Restaurant Brands (QSR): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Pearson (PSO) at 2.38 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Restaurant Brands (QSR) at 6.87 carries an above-peer premium to book — QSR is pricier on assets.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

2.38

Max: 12.02
Q3: 5.58
PSO: 2.38
Median: 2.37
Q1: 1.09
Min: -4.51

QSR

Consumer Services industry group

6.87

Max: 12.02
QSR: 6.87
Q3: 5.58
Median: 2.37
Q1: 1.09
Min: -4.51

Pearson (PSO) vs. Restaurant Brands (QSR): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Restaurant Brands (QSR)
Metric	PSO	QSR
P/E Ratio (TTM)	25.78	17.07
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.86	3.64
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.38	6.87
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	8.08%	4.48%