Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR) Lowered to Sell Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Sunday morning.

BUR has been the subject of a number of other reports. B. Riley restated a “buy” rating and issued a $18.00 price objective (down from $20.00) on shares of Burford Capital in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Burford Capital from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Burford Capital in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Burford Capital currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $18.00.

Burford Capital Stock Performance

Shares of BUR opened at $9.26 on Friday. Burford Capital has a twelve month low of $8.19 and a twelve month high of $15.73. The stock has a market cap of $2.03 billion, a PE ratio of 24.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 14.99, a current ratio of 14.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $9.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.80.

Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported ($0.09) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.39). The business had revenue of $69.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $136.03 million. Burford Capital had a return on equity of 2.71% and a net margin of 18.42%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Burford Capital will post 1.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Burford Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st were given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a yield of 125.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. Burford Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.58%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BUR. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Burford Capital by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 487,333 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,438,000 after acquiring an additional 5,272 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Burford Capital by 27.0% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 31,617 shares of the company’s stock worth $418,000 after purchasing an additional 6,729 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Burford Capital during the first quarter valued at $134,000. Martingale Asset Management L P purchased a new stake in shares of Burford Capital during the first quarter valued at $211,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC bought a new stake in Burford Capital in the 1st quarter worth about $132,000.

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.