NEW YORK — The New York Stock Exchange is once again the home of the Whopper.

Burger King Worldwide began trading as a public company Wednesday under the ticker symbol “BKW.” Its shares closed up 3.5 percent at $15.01.

The world’s No. 2 hamburger chain had last traded as a public company between 2006 and 2010 before it was purchased and taken private by investment firm 3G Capital.

Burger King’s return wasn’t through an initial public offering, however. 3G Capital announced an unusual deal in April to sell a minority stake to Justice Holdings, a London-based entity specifically set up to invest in another company. 3G Capital received $1.4 billion in exchange and retains a 71 percent stake in the company.

That stake was worth about $3.6 billion based on Burger King’s opening share price, meaning that, on paper, 3G Capital has more than earned back the $3.26 billion it paid for Burger King in 2010.

Under the complex deal, Justice suspended trading on the London Stock Exchange once the transaction was complete and emerged as Burger King Worldwide on the New York Stock Exchange.

Only 16 percent of shares were available for sale to investors. The founders of Justice Holdings will hold onto their 13 percent of shares for at least one year as part of the deal.

As the fast-food market becomes crowded, Burger King has focused on expansion overseas. In the past year, 80 percent of new store openings were in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.