Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – What’s Next?

Shares of Burford Capital Limited (NYSE:BUR) saw strong trading volume on Friday . 3,174,752 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 73% from the previous session’s volume of 1,832,770 shares.The stock last traded at $4.64 and had previously closed at $7.83.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BUR shares. Zacks Research downgraded Burford Capital from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Burford Capital in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Burford Capital in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Wedbush started coverage on shares of Burford Capital in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $14.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Burford Capital from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, December 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Burford Capital has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $16.00.

Burford Capital Trading Down 39.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 10.93 and a current ratio of 10.93. The company has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $8.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $9.77.

Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR) last posted its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $48.78 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $168.30 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Burford Capital Limited will post 1.28 EPS for the current year.

Burford Capital Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of Burford Capital

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in Burford Capital by 4.6% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 119,261 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,575,000 after purchasing an additional 5,229 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Burford Capital by 2,967.7% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 657,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,683,000 after purchasing an additional 635,857 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Burford Capital by 14.5% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,206,303 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,935,000 after buying an additional 152,792 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in shares of Burford Capital by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 458,562 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,058,000 after buying an additional 35,541 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Burford Capital by 369.9% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 201,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,667,000 after buying an additional 158,973 shares during the last quarter.

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.