Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR) Trading 8.6% Higher – Still a Buy?

Burford Capital Limited (NYSE:BUR) shares were up 8.6% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $4.41 and last traded at $4.4950. Approximately 730,312 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 3,110,487 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.14.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on BUR. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Burford Capital in a report on Friday, March 27th. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $4.75 price objective (down from $6.00) on shares of Burford Capital in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Burford Capital from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered Burford Capital from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, December 21st. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on Burford Capital in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $12.00.

Burford Capital Stock Up 8.3%

The firm has a market capitalization of $981.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.61 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 10.93 and a quick ratio of 10.93. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $8.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $9.37.

Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported ($0.17) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.54). Burford Capital had a net margin of 15.14% and a return on equity of 1.97%. The firm had revenue of $48.78 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $168.30 million. On average, equities analysts expect that Burford Capital Limited will post 1.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Burford Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be issued a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a yield of 147.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. Burford Capital’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.44%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Burford Capital

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in shares of Burford Capital by 1,687.7% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 2,751 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Burford Capital during the fourth quarter valued at $53,000. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Burford Capital in the 1st quarter valued at about $55,000. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Burford Capital in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $93,000. Finally, Equitable Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in Burford Capital in the 4th quarter worth $94,000.

Burford Capital Company Profile

Burford Capital (NYSE: BUR) is a leading global finance firm that specializes in litigation and arbitration funding, risk management, and asset recovery. The company provides capital to law firms and corporate clients to finance legal fees and associated costs in commercial disputes. In exchange for funding, Burford shares in any awards or settlements, enabling clients to pursue meritorious claims without bearing upfront legal expenses.

Founded in 2009 by Christopher Bogart, Burford was among the first firms to establish a dedicated litigation finance business.